Dual Journey
by Dragon's Shadow
Summary: Rewrite of Green Midnight. The Arisato twins have moved to Iwatodai to go to their parents' high school. However, they're about to be thrown onto a journey that they never anticipated. Witness their adventures and their struggles against the Shadows.
1. The Journey Begins

Hello everyone! Welcome to the rewrite of Green Midnight! If you've been reading that story, then you have a pretty good idea of what's to come. If not, then I hope you don't go peeking for spoilers! Now then, for the most part, the story's remained unchanged from its previous incarnation; however, some concepts have been changed, the dialogue has been smoothed out, new stuff has been added, and more awesome has been added. Now then, whether you're an old fan or new, I hope you enjoy the story!

* * *

**In-Game Date:** April 7, 2009

**Chapter 1:** _**The Journey Begins**_

**'Attention passengers. We have now arrived at Iwatodai Station. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay. The next stop is Iwatodai. I repeat, the next stop is Iwatodai.' **The announcement echoed over the PA system on the train as it screeched to a halt. The doors opened wide, ready to let its passengers out.

**'Iwatodai. Iwatodai. This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please make sure you board in time for departure. Iwatodai. Iwatodai,'** the PA system echoed once more.

Two people departed the train, looking tired from the train ride. One was a young man with wild blue hair, long bangs swept over his right eye. He had on a black jacket worn open, black pants, a white button-up shirt, an old-fashioned tie, and blue boots. A grey bag swung over his right shoulder, he took his MP3 player, which was hanging around his neck, in his left hand to turn down the volume.

His traveling companion was a young lady. She had long reddish-brown hair tied up in a bun. She was clad in a black jacket that was closed, a white blouse under the jacket, black skirt, brown loafers, white knee-high socks, and a large red ribbon tied around her neck in the same style as her companion. In her hair she wore hairpins on the left side of her head that were arranged as two X's next to two I's. Wearing a red backpack, she was smoothing out her skirt as she turned down the music on her MP3 player that also hung around her neck.

"Well, looks like we're finally here, aniki," the female smiled.

"Yeah. I'm glad to finally get off that train. Why did a storm on the other side of Japan affect the train schedule here?" the male frowned.

"I don't really know; I guess its how the world works," the brunette shrugged as she looked around.

"Yeah. At least we're here now. But why did we have to arrive so late?" the boy sighed.

"Yeah. I don't like being out so late. But as long as we hurry, we should avoid any problems," the girl smiled.

"Agreed," said the male as he took out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. The two studied the piece of paper, which so happened to be a map. The girl pointed to a location on the map.

"According to the map, this is Iwatodai station," she said. She then pointed to a symbol on the map. It was a circle divided into four quarters. The top left and bottom right parts were white while the top right and bottom left areas were black. The circle was surrounded by another circle, colored red and had the words 'Gekkoukan High School' in it. "That would be the high school we're going to," she continued. Her finger traced the map from the symbol back to the station to a third point on the map. The symbol she landed on was that of a bed. "And here must be our dorm. And it's not too far from here!" she chirped.

"That's good. I wasn't in the mood for a long walk," the male yawned. "Don't you find it lucky that we were assigned to the same dorm?"

"Yeah. I was surprised there was a co-ed dorm and that we both got assigned to it. However, I'm glad. We've always been together and to separate us now would be a travesty, wouldn't it, Minato?" the girl smiled.

"Yeah. We've always been together and I don't plan on that ending anytime soon, Hamuko," the boy, now identified as Minato, chuckled.

"I'm holding you to that," Hamuko smiled.

Minato grabbed the MP3 player hanging around his neck and looked at it, observing the time on it. "It's almost midnight. I didn't realize it was that late." he said.

"Wow. The train ride took longer than I thought," Hamuko sighed.

However, before they could leave, the electronics in the building suddenly cut off. The lights dimmed out and the diminished noise from their headphones and from all around them was silenced. The moon from the skylight turned a sickly green, casting its eerie light upon the two travelers. "Heh. I guess its midnight now," Minato sighed.

"What should we do? Should we stay here?" Hamuko asked.

"I think we should make our way towards the dorm. As long as we keep moving and don't attract attention, I think we'll be fine. However, be ready for anything," Minato warned his companion.

"Got it, aniki," Hamuko nodded as she reached into her backpack. After a moment, Hamuko pulled out a white baton. She twirled it around her fingers and flicked it, causing the baton to extend to more than double its size. Minato also reached into his bag and pulled out a baseball bat. He shifted his bag over to his other shoulder and gave his bat a couple of practice swings with his right arm.

"Excellent. Now let's get going; the sooner we get to our dorm, the better," said Minato. Hamuko nodded in agreement and the two departed from the train station into the eeriness of the night.

* * *

The streets were even creepier than the train station. The sickly green moon illuminated the sky and clouds as the streets were soaked with gallons of blood. Yet, that wasn't the oddest part; the oddest part was that dozens of reddish-black coffins littered the streets, completely upright and hovering above the ground. "I still can't shake how creepy all this is," Hamuko frowned as they walked.

"True. But it gets less jarring every time," Minato shrugged. "So, tell me, where are we right now?" Hamuko looked at the map she held in her hand.

"Well, I think we're completely lost right now. This map is completely useless," Hamuko chuckled dryly.

"The big city is so confusing, Hamuko, even with a map. I'm just glad we haven't run into any trouble yet," said Minato.

"I know. Isn't that weird? I guess they're not active today or something," she figured.

"Who knows? All I know is that we shouldn't question our good luck right now," Minato sighed in deep thought and Hamuko nodded in agreement. The two continued walking, searching for their dorm. After some time had passed, the two came upon a rather simple shrine with a playground.

"Hey, Hamuko, what is this place?" Minato asked.

Hamuko looked at the map in her hands and searched it. "I think this is… Naganaki Shrine…" she guessed. "If that's so, then we took a wrong turn somewhere, cause Naganaki is quite far from the dorm."

"Just peachy," Minato groaned. "First we get stuck traveling during Green Midnight and now we get lost. Wonderful. And school starts tomorrow as well. Could things get any worse?"

As if to answer Minato's question, a nearby bush began to rattle. "Eep!" Hamuko jumped back, baton at the ready. "Come out, you beast!" From the bush walked out a young white dog with red eyes.

"Yeah, what a beast, Hamuko. Careful, or it'll eat you!" Minato teased his sister.

"Aniki!" Hamuko stomped the ground. "That's not funny."

"Sorry, Hamuko," Minato chuckled as he knelt in front of the dog. "Hi there, little guy. How are you?" The dog stared right into Minato's eyes, like it was looking into his soul. For a moment, all was silent. Then, all of a sudden, the dog jumped into Minato's arms and nuzzled its snout against Minato's face.

"Aw…" Minato scratched the dog's ear. "You're such a nice doggy."

"It's rare that we see a living creature during Green Midnight," Hamuko remarked as she petted the dog. "Aren't you such a cute little doggy?" The dog jumped into Hamuko's arms and began licking her face, causing her to laugh. "Aw… he likes me, aniki! Can we keep him?"

"Well, I don't see a collar. I suppose we can take him with us to the dorm and see what happens from there," Minato shrugged.

Suddenly, the dog slipped out of Hamuko's arms and vanished into the bushes. "Aw…" Hamuko pouted.

"Well, I guess that solves that problem," said Minato. "Come on, we should keep going. Things may be quiet now, but you never know when the Beasts may strike…."

"Alright…" Hamuko sighed. "I wanted that puppy…"

* * *

After leaving the shrine, the siblings finally got themselves on the right track and fond themselves in front of a plain building. Hamuko checked the address that was written on the map and compared it to the address found above the door. "Yes, this is the place!" she chirped. Minato let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally. I'm ready for bed. Let's go inside, find who's in charge, get our rooms, and catch some shut eye," said Minato.

The two weary travelers entered the building and glanced around. The entrance looked quite a bit like a hotel lobby. To their left was a counter that served like a check-in desk. To their right were several couches, chairs, a table, and a television. Beyond the lobby, there was a kitchen area, complete with table and chairs. To the left of the kitchen were bathrooms and stairs leading up. "You think anyone's still up?" Minato asked as he put his bat away.

"Who knows? Should we ring the bell or something?" Hamuko shrugged as she folded her baton up. As the two removed their headphones from their ears, a creepy voice called out to them.

"You're late," the voice mocked them. Minato turned to his left to see that a strange young boy clad in prison wear-like pajamas had manned the check-in desk. The boy seemed oddly creepy; he exuded a feeling horror movies would give someone. "I've been waiting a long time for you," the boy scolded.

_'I guess he means I've kept him up for half the night waiting for us,'_ Minato thought. _'But it's still Green Midnight… I thought only a few could explore it. Now I find a dog and a boy? What's next, a hot chick?'_

The strange boy snapped his fingers. "Now if you want to proceed…" the boy pointed to the registry on the desk, which mysteriously opened on its own. "Please sign your name there; it's a contract," the boy said.

"A contract?" Minato asked, confused by the statement.

"Don't worry. All it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff…" the boy assured the blue-haired teen. Minato felt his body shiver as the boy looked at him expectantly, like the boy was the embodiment of fear itself.

"Do I have to?" Minato asked the boy.

"No, but it would be in your best interest to do so," the boy smiled, which freaked Minato out. Feeling a chill crawl up his spine, Minato took a deep breath in order to calm himself down.

_'He probably means a dorm contract or something like that,'_ Minato assured himself. "Okay," Minato said, which made the boy smile wider. He walked over to the registry and took the quill pen in hand. He dipped the pen in the inkbottle and quickly signed the name 'Arisato Minato' on the line. "Done. Does my sister need to sign this contract as well?" Minato asked.

"Don't worry; your sister will get her own contract soon enough," the boy mysteriously said. He then took the registry in hand and closed it. "No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end," the boy chuckled. He then held up the contract in a way that it covered his right eye the way Minato's hair covered his eye. "You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes," the boy warned.

With a flick of the wrist, the registry disappeared into thin air. The boy began walking backwards into the shadows, fading away as he did. "And so it begins…" the boy faded into the darkness.

"What on earth was that all about?" the young man wondered. Suddenly, a hand began snapping in his face.

"Aniki, are you okay?" Hamuko asked.

"Huh? What?" Minato was confused.

"Are you okay? You suddenly started babbling about some 'contract', walked over to the sign-in desk, and scribbled on it," Hamuko informed him.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Minato asked. He looked back over to the desk. Sure enough, 'Arisato Minato' was scribbled in ink on the desk. "What? How can that be? What about the boy? And the contract?" Minato began to worry.

"What boy? What contract? Aniki, are you sure you're okay?" Hamuko grasped her brother's hands in worry. Before Minato could respond to his sister's concerns, they heard a creaking sound.

"Who's there?" a voice shouted out. The two looked towards the stairs and saw a young girl standing nearby. She had shoulder-length brown hair. She wore a choker around her neck and had on a pink sweater. A red bow was also tied around her neck like Hamuko, and had on a skirt and loafers. On her left arm was a red armband that had the initial 'S.E.E.S' on it. What was most catching was on her right thigh; it was a gun holster, with a silver gun inside.

_'What the? ANOTHER person active? This a breeding ground or something? And shit! She has a gun!'_ Minato instinctively stepped in front of his sister.

The pink-clad girl began breathing heavily, looking at Minato and Hamuko with fear in her eyes. "Now calm down…" Minato tried to defuse the situation. As the girl's hand slowly fidgeted towards her gun, Minato and Hamuko found themselves taking a step back.

"What are you doing!" Hamuko yelled, fearful for her life. The girl drew her gun from its holster, holding it with a shaky grip. "No!" Hamuko sobbed, grabbing her brother in need of safety.

As the girl's arm began to swing the gun, a voice shouted, "Takeba! Wait!" The gun-wielding girl whipped around to see that another young woman had appeared at the foot of the stairs. She had long red hair that covered her left eye. She wore a white-button up blouse, black knee-high heeled boots, and a long grey skirt. She had the same ribbon around her neck and wore the same armband as the brunette. On her waist was a gun holster with a gun similar to that the pink-clad girl had on her.

As the brunette breathed a sigh of relief, the power cut back on, the eerie green light fading away. The MP3 players around Minato and Hamuko's necks cut back on, the songs they were listening earlier softly echoing from their earphones. The brunette couldn't help but smile in relief as she put her gun away. The red-haired one approached and smiled at everyone.

"I didn't think you two would arrive so late. My name is Kirijo Mitsuru. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm," the redhead introduced herself.

"Who are they?" the brunette asked the one now identified as Mitsuru.

"They're transfer students and siblings, fraternal twins to be precise. It was a last minute to assign them here to this dorm. They'll eventually be moved to the appropriate dorms," Mitsuru explained.

"…Is it okay for them to be here?" the brunette asked.

"I guess we'll see," Mitsuru nodded as she looked over at Minato and Hamuko. "I guess I'll introduce everyone."

"This is Takeba Yukari," Mitsuru pointed to the pink-clad girl. "Takeba, these are the Arisatos: Minato-san and Hamuko-san. All three of you will be juniors this spring."

"…Hey," the girl shyly greeted the twins with a wave.

Hamuko, still holding onto her brother, looked up. "Aniki, what do we do?" she whispered to him.

"We play along for now. Besides, I want to know how is it that there are others active during 'that time' besides us," Minato whispered back.

"Okay, aniki," Hamuko nodded. The two separated and stood in front of Mitsuru and Yukari. Minato turned off his MP3 player and extended a hand.

"Nice to meet you, Yukari-san and Mitsuru-san," Minato greeted.

"Same here, Arisato. However, I am your sempai, so I expect to be addressed accordingly," Mitsuru replied.

"Of course, Mitsuru-sempai," Minato nodded. The two shook hands.

"Uh… Nice to meet you too…" Yukari rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. She then shook Minato's hand as well, a bit nervous about it.

"It's nice to meet you two as well," Hamuko wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Can I ask something?" Minato asked.

"Of course, Arisato," said Mitsuru.

"Actually, I have two questions. Is this dorm girl's dorm? I was under the impression that this was a co-ed dorm, yet I only see girls so far," Minato blushed a little.

"Don't worry, Arisato. This is definitely a co-ed dorm. It's just that there are only three people who live here at the moment, and two of them are female. Well, I suppose its more accurate to say that there's five people living here now if I include you two," Mitsuru explained.

"Ah, okay," Minato sighed in relief. He may like girls, but living in a dorm full of them would be bad news. "My other question: You said you were Kirijo Mitsuru, as in the Kirijo Group, the prestige corporation?"

"That is correct. I'm impressed you knew that," Mitsuru smiled.

"Well, when your grandfather is a famed detective, you tend to pick up a few things," said Minato.

"Ah, yes. I've heard of him from my father, who has met your grandfather on several occasions. Don't you find it interesting that the child and grandchildren of two acquaintances end up at the same dorm?" Mitsuru asked.

"I do. I hope we can get along like they can," said Hamuko.

"Same here. Anyways, it's getting late, so you two should get some rest," said Mitsuru. "Arisato's room is on the second floor and Arisato-kohai's room is on the third floor. And before you ask, when I'm saying 'Arisato-kohai', I am addressing Hamuko-san. If it's just 'Arisato', then I'm addressing Minato-san. Anyways, the rest of your things should already be in your rooms. Takeba, if you would lead the way?"

"…Of course! Follow me!" a startled Yukari snapped to attention. Taking the lead, Yukari led the group of four to the second floor. At the top of the stairs was a sitting area with several vending machines filled with food and drinks. Another staircase stood near the top of the stairs. On the other side of the sitting area was a hallway with several doors, which Minato assumed to be dorm rooms. "Follow me," Yukari motioned to Minato.

"Arisato-kohai, I'll take you to your room," said Mitsuru as she handed a key to Minato. "Arisato, this is your key to your room; don't lose it. Now then; Arisato and Takeba, I bid you both good night."

"Okay then. Night, aniki," Hamuko waved to her brother.

"Night, Hamuko," Minato waved back as Mitsuru and Hamuko went upstairs. Yukari led Minato to the end of the hallway, where there was a door by the window.

"This is it…" said Yukari. "Pretty easy to remember, since it's at the end of the hall. Make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never hear the end of it. So, any questions?"

Minato took a moment to mull things over. _'Hmm… perhaps I could take this opportunity to pump her for information. Have to be discreet, though. At least if something goes wrong, I'm close enough to stop her before she draws that gun of her,'_ he thought.

"I do have a question, Yukari-san. What exactly was that contract I had to sign and where did the creepy kid in prison wear disappear to?" Minato asked, wanting to know more since Hamuko told him that she had not seen him sign the contract or the creepy kid.

"Huh? What kid? What contract? C'mon, it's not funny, Minato-san," Yukari frowned.

_'Crap, that got me nowhere. Either she's playing dumb or she honestly doesn't know and I'm losing it. Either option doesn't seem good…'_ he sighed. "Never mind, Yukari-san. I'm just tired after a long day on the train, so I'm just babbling nonsense," said Minato.

"Okay," Yukari nodded. "Um… Can I ask you something? On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

_'Ah, ha. She DOES know something. She seems to be aware of the properties of Green Midnight. I wonder what I can find out?'_ he mentally smirked. _'Let's play dumb and see…' _"What are you talking about, Yukari-san?" Minato innocently asked.

"You know what I…" Yukari caught herself. "Never mind. It seems like you're alright."

_'Drat. That got me nothing either. I had hoped that she'd slip up, but she's smarter than I gave her credit for. Might as well stop; I doubt I'll get anything else out of her tonight,'_ Minato decided to let it go for now. "Yeah, I'm fine, just tired. Is it okay if I head in for the night?" Minato asked.

"Oh! Sorry! I forgot that it's late!" Yukari apologized. "I should get going." Yukari turned around to leave, but then looked over her shoulder. "I'm sure you still have other questions, but can we save them for later, okay?" Yukari asked.

"Sure. So, I'll see you tomorrow then?" Minato replied.

"Yeah. Night, Minato-san," Yukari waved and headed off to her room.

Minato unlocked his door and walked inside his room. Several boxes containing his stuff littered the floor, having yet to be unpacked. There were a couple of bookshelves in the room, a dresser, a TV on top of a nightstand, a desk with a chair, a sink with a mirror over it, and a large bed that was already made.

"So, this is home now…" Minato took the sight in. He put his bag on the ground, then took off his jacket and threw it on the chair. As he sat down on the bed and kicked off his boots, a voice called out.

_**'Now I face up, I hold up, I reach out to the truth...'**_ the voice sang. Instinctively, Minato reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "Hello?" he answered the phone.

**"Aniki! You enjoying your new room?"** Hamuko chirped from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, it's okay. After I unpack everything, it'll be better, though," said Minato.

**"You sure you wanna unpack everything? Mitsuru-sempai said that we'll be assigned to different dorms soon," **Hamuko warned her brother.

"Well, enough to last until them," Minato replied. "So, you and Mitsuru-sempai talk about anything?"

**"Not really. She led me to my room at the end of the hall, warned me not to lose my key, advised me to go to bed, then headed off,"** Hamuko answered.

"Yeah, I got the same thing from Yukari-san; however, I did learn something," Minato smiled.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Yukari-san had asked me if everything was okay on our way to the station. I replied that I had no idea what she was talking about. She then goes and says that I know what she was talking about and was going to say something else before she caught herself," Minato summarized the conversation, leaving out the part about the boy and the contract.

**"What do you think that means?"** Hamuko asked.

"I believe she's aware of Green Midnight and its properties, Hamuko. And judging from what happened, I'd say Mitsuru-sempai is just as aware." Minato deduced.

**"But how is that possible? I thought only a few people were active during Green Midnight, and even fewer that know this. Then we find a dog at Naganaki Shrine active during that time, and now Yukari-san and Mitsuru-sempai. Just what is going on here?"** Hamuko pondered.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out." Minato gave his answer.

**"Be careful, aniki. You saw how fidgety Yukari-san was. I… I don't want to lose you… especially to a gun…"** Hamuko began to cry.

"Don't worry; you won't lose me," Minato assured her. "I'll be careful. Now go get some sleep. It's been a long day."

**"Okay, aniki. Night,"** Hamuko hung up.

Minato shut off his phone and stuffed in into his pocket. Too lazy to change, he just fell onto his bed, sleep overcoming him.

_'Not even here an hour and already mysteries are popping up. I honestly hoped for a normal school year, just like back in the countryside, but I guess that's not going to happen. Just what is going on here?'_ he wondered. He shoved his thoughts out of his mind and fell asleep, waiting for whatever the next day held.

* * *

Ah, this chapter is so much easier to read without all that gratuitous Japanese. I hope you enjoy the chapters to come!


	2. Gekkoukan High School

Welcome to Chapter 2! I'm glad you're all liking the reboot so far. Just to alleviate your fears, about 70 percent of Dual Journey is the same is Green Midnight. Most events and dialogue are still the same. All that's really changed are the battles, some story elements, and smoother storytelling. Now then, to the next chapter!

* * *

**In Game Date:** April 8, 2009

_**Chapter 2**_**:** Gekkoukan High School

Minato peacefully slept all night long. When he woke up the next morning, he rummaged through the boxes and pulled out a set of clothes similar to the one he wore yesterday, except they seemed kind of worn.

_'Father's old school uniform…'_ Minato fondly looked over the clothes, brushing the dust off the school symbol found on the jacket. He then snagged a towel and some toiletries and went to the floor's bathroom to get ready for the day. When he returned, he took a long look in the mirror. _'Well, today's the day. Mother… Father… I hope you're proud of us…'_ Minato smiled into the mirror. A knock on the door snapped Minato out of his nirvana.

"It's Yukari," Yukari called from outside the room. "You awake?"

"Yeah, one second!" Minato replied, and then went over to his desk and slipped his MP3 player around his neck. He put his headphones on and answered the door. Not only was Yukari waiting for him, but also his sister Hamuko.

"Morning, aniki!" Hamuko greeted as she and Yukari entered the room.

"Good morning, Minato-san," said Yukari.

"Good morning, Hamuko, Yukari-san," Minato greeted back.

"You sleep okay?" Hamuko asked.

"Yeah, I did," said Minato. "You?"

"I slept fine. The bed was really comfortable," Hamuko replied.

"Mitsuru-sempai has asked that I escort the both of you to school. It's getting late, so are you ready to go?" Yukari asked.

"Just let me grab my bag," Minato snagged a smaller bag from the bag he brought with him last night. "Okay, ready."

"Good, let's go," Yukari ordered.

* * *

The three arrived at Iwatodai Station and boarded a train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. As the three rode the train, Yukari decided to strike up a conversation. "Hey, um… Minato-san, I've noticed that your uniform isn't brand new; in fact it seems well worn. Why is that?" Yukari asked.

"It was my father's," Minato replied.

"Your father's? He went to Gekkoukan?" Yukari was puzzled.

"Yup. Both mom and dad went to Gekkoukan. In fact, they were part of Gekkoukan's first graduating class," Hamuko explained. "They were high school sweethearts."

"Aw… how sweet!" Yukari cooed.

"Yeah. We spent most of our life in the countryside with our maternal grandfather, but we decided to move to Iwatodai and go to Gekkoukan to see the kind of life our parents lived when they were young," Minato looked out the window.

"So, how come your parents aren't here? Too expensive for them to move with you?" Yukari wondered. The Arisatos were silent and looked away. Yukari seemed confused as to why the Arisatos suddenly got quiet.

"Oh!" Yukari realized what had happened. "Sorry; I didn't realize it was something so serious. What happened?"

"…Ten years ago…" both Arisatos whispered at the same time. "There was an accident. They died and we were very lucky to survive," Hamuko explained.

"I'm so sorry, Minato-san. I honestly didn't know," Yukari apologized.

"It's okay, Yukari-chan," Hamuko put a hand on her shoulder. "We still miss them, but we spend every day living for them."

"That's noble of you," Yukari smiled. "And Minato-san, I think it's sweet that you're wearing your father's old uniform in his honor."

"Arigato, Yukari-san," Minato replied.

"Anyways, let's not start school on a somber note! Why don't we tell each other a little about ourselves?" Yukari changed the subject.

* * *

Yukari, Minato, and Hamuko spent the next little while chatting, getting to know each other a little better. They learned each other's favorite colors, favorite foods, favorite bands, and a couple of other things.

**'Attention passengers. We are now arriving at Port Island Station. If this is your stop, please be ready to depart the train,'** the announcement echoed over the PA system.

"Oh! Come to the window, you two! You have to see the school as we make this last turn!" Yukari pulled them to the window. The three of them looked out the window to see the ocean. As the train made the turn, a rather large and elegant building appeared in their line of sight. "So, that's it. See? There it is," Yukari proudly announced.

"Wow…" Hamuko gasped.

"Amazing…" Minato was in awe._ 'So, this is Mother and Father's school? It's wonderful. I hope we can find the happiness they found at Gekkoukan…'

* * *

_

After the train made its way to Port Island Station, the Arisatos and Yukari made the trek over to Gekkoukan. When they arrived, Yukari ran ahead of them and spread her arms out wide, a grin on her face. "Well, this is it. We're now here. Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. Hope you like it!" Yukari welcomed them.

Hamuko stood in awe, admiring her parents' school up close for the first time. Minato was also in awe, but for a different reason.

_ 'Wow, when she's happy and smiling, she looks so beautiful…'_ Minato was admiring Yukari. _'…Wait, what am I thinking?'_ Minato shook the thought from his head and followed Yukari and his sister into the school.

* * *

When they entered, all three swapped their shoes at the shoe lockers. Yukari took a few steps ahead of them and addressed them. "Will you two be okay from here, right? You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The list of classes is on the bulletin board by the stairs and the Faculty Office is off to the left, in front of the restrooms. Second-year classes are on the second floor. I guess that's about all you need to know for now. Any questions?" Yukari gave a brief tour.

"What class are you in?" Hamuko asked.

"Me? I dunno. Haven't looked at the listings yet," Yukari shrugged. "I'd do it now, but I have to take care of some business regarding the Archery Club."

"Ah, okay. Well, if we don't see you in class, we'll see you back at the dorm, okay?" Hamuko nodded.

"Sure," Yukari turned to head out, but remembered something. "Hey… About last night… Don't tell anyone what happened, okay?" she asked them.

_'Well, if you had pulled a gun on someone, I'd want to keep it quiet as well.'_ "Sure, Yukari-san. We promise," Minato assured her.

"Good. Well, see ya," Yukari ran off.

"Well, Hamuko, ready for your first day?" Minato asked.

"I'm always ready by your side, aniki," Hamuko took her brother's hand and squeezed it in affection.

"Excellent. Let's get going," Minato suggested. The two went over to the bulletin board to check their class assignments, but the billboard was crowded with dozens of students trying to find their classrooms. "Damn, there's a lot of people here," Minato spat, ticked off.

"How about we go ahead to the Faculty Office? We have to get settled anyways. If we're lucky, we'll meet our teacher. Besides, it should kill enough time until the crowd clears," Hamuko suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea," Minato agreed.

* * *

The two of walked over to the Faculty Office, wanting to get everything set up for the first day. When the walked inside, they took a look around, seeing teachers getting work done. "Minato-kun! Hamuko-chan!"

"No way…" Minato gasped._ 'I know that voice! But how is SHE here?'_

"Can't be…" Hamuko was just as surprised. One of the teachers had approached them. She was a relatively young teacher, with short brown hair. She held a couple of files under her arm, and she was madly grinning, happy she had caught the twins off guard.

"Izako-daibo?" the Arisatos cried out at the same time.

"I'm glad to see you two are here. How are you?" the woman known as Izako asked.

"We're fine, but what are you doing here?" Minato asked.

"I'm now a teacher here at Gekkoukan, teaching young minds about Composition. What do you think?" Isako asked.

"Wow. That's awesome!" Hamuko jumped for joy. "How come you didn't tell us?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise. You don't mind if I'm here, do you?" Izako replied.

"Of course not, Isako-daibo. But why are you here?" Minato wanted to know.

"I've always had an attachment to this school," Izako reminisced. "It's where the happiest years of my life happened, and it's also where I met the two greatest friends I ever had. Also, I owed it to your parents to keep an eye on you two while attending their alma mater."

"Mother and Father…" Minato whispered.

"Jouhei-sempai and Nagi-sempai were real good to me in high school and beyond. They were the best sempai and friends I ever had. It was the saddest day in my life when they died. At least you two and your sister are still alive, carrying on their legacy. By the way, how is young Naoko-chan?"

"Naoko is doing fine; she's with Grandfather. She was upset that we were leaving her to come to Gekkoukan; in fact, if it weren't for the fact that she was in eighth grade and her dream of idolizing our parents, she would've come with us in a heartbeat," Minato informed her.

"Still wanting to become a detective to live up to the Kuzunoha legacy?" Isako asked.

"Oh, she definitely does," Hamuko chuckled.

"That's nice. I'm glad to see that she's taking it seriously," Izako smiled.

"I think she takes it way too seriously. I mean, recently, she's been rejecting her femininity because she believes the ideal detective is male. She's gotten her hair cut like a boy's, dressed likes a boy, speaks in a lower pitch, and even goes by a new name now," Minato shook his head.

"She doesn't go by Arisato Naoko anymore?" Izako cocked her head in confusion.

"Nope. She insists on going by the same 'Shirogane Naoto'," Hamuko chuckled.

"I see she took Nagi-sempai's maiden name. That's sweet of her," Izako chuckled as well. "I hope this wasn't your grandfather's doing."

"Nope. All Naoko's, or should I say Naoto's doing. Nothing we could do would dissuade her… I mean him," Hamuko said.

"Just as stubborn as Nagi-sempai, I see. I remember when your mother went through a similar phase. She had fallen for your father hard, yet could never get his attention. So, she decided if she couldn't get his attention as a girl, she'd do it as a guy. With a hat, sports bra, and frumpy clothes, she infiltrated Jouhai-sempai's circle of friends. For three months she kept up the charade, getting to know Jouhei-sempai the whole time. Finally, Nagi-sempai couldn't keep her feelings bottled up anymore and confessed to him. It was especially funny since she was still in disguise," Izako reminisced.

"Oh! I remember what happened next! Dad began freaking out, shouting 'NO! YAOI! AUGH! I AM NOT GAY!'," Hamuko recalled.

"And then Mother got really pissed, shouting 'GODDAMMIT, I'M A GIRL YOU NUMSKULL!'" Minato cracked a smile.

"Then Jouhai-sempai shouts back 'PROVE IT!'"

"Then Mom, in a fit of rage, lifts her shirt to prove she's a girl…"

"Causing Father to have a massive nosebleed…"

"Pissing off Nagi-sempai beyond all belief…"

"And Dad shouts 'HOLY CRAP! BIG BOOBIES!'"

"Which causes Mother to completely lose it…"

"By knocking him out into next week!" All three of them exploded in laughter, causing some of the other teachers in the room to shoot them a dirty look.

"Oh, those were the days…" Izako wiped the tears from her eyes.

"They were great people…" said Hamuko.

"I wish they were still here…" Minato whispered.

"I do too, Minato-kun. I do too…" Izako frowned. After a moment of silence to compose herself, Izako spoke up again. "Enough reminiscing for now, it's time to get serious. You two are assigned to 2-F, my class," Izako informed them.

"Really?" Hamuko asked with wonder.

"Really. I had your grandfather pull some strings so I could get you two assigned to my class. I figured you wouldn't mind that either," Izako informed them.

"We don't mind at all. Personally, I think it'd be cool," said Minato.

"Perfect, so here's some quick words of advice: during school hours, address me as Toriumi-sensei. After school, Izako-daibo will be just fine. Be on your best behavior. Don't let the Kuzunoha clans down. Make sure you have fun. Join clubs if you can. Be sure to make friends that'll last a lifetime and beyond. Don't slack off; I won't be going easy on you, even though you're my godchildren. And most definitely, don't cross any of the teachers. I've only been here a week, and I've already made an enemy of Ekoda-san. If we weren't in school, I'd have a few choice words to describe him. Make sure you watch out for him; he's not exactly a shining example of the staff here, if you know what I mean," Izako advised them.

"Understood, Toriumi-sensei!" both siblings bowed.

"Wow! Such enthusiasm, just like your parents," Izako smiled. "Now then, we should get going; the Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. I'll take you both there."

* * *

After being escorted to the auditorium, the Arisato siblings took their seats. The place was already packed with a couple thousand students. Not long after they sat down, the principal stepped up to the podium.

"As you begin the school year," the principal began his speech. "I'd like each of you to remember the proverb, 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' When applied to student life, this means…"

_'Boring…'_ Minato though. Still somewhat sleepy, Minato put his headphones on, started playing a soft song, and leaned back. He looked over to his right to see that his sister had done the same thing. He smirked and allowed his thoughts and the speech to be drowned out by the beautiful music.

_**'Time… Old dry winds go by… Long air comes quietly…'**_ the song echoed in his ears.

Just as sleep was overcoming him, he felt several taps on his shoulder. He turned around to see that a random student was trying to get his attention. _'Aw… just when I was all relaxed,'_ he mentally sighed.

"Can I help you?" Minato whispered as he muted his MP3 player.

"Yeah. You came to school with Yukari-san and that other girl this morning, right?" the student asked.

"Yeah, I was with Yukari-san and my imoto-chan this morning. What of it?" Minato asked back.

"Oh, so she's your sister," the student nodded in understanding. "Anyways, I have a question; do you know if either of them have a boyfriend?"

"Well, I only met Yukari-san just last night, so I really wouldn't know. As for my sister, you'll have to get through me to have a shot with her," Minato glared at the boy.

"I get it. Sorry," the student apologized. "Anyways, just exactly how well do you know Yukari-san?"

Minato was about to reply when a teacher said, "I hear talking! I believe it's someone in Toriumi's class…"

"Shh! Be quiet!" Toriumi ordered as she glared at Minato and the other kid. "You'll get me in trouble."

The student sunk back into his seat while Minato turned back on his MP3 player and went back into blissful harmony.

_** 'Time… Old dry winds go by… Uncertain space you need to fill in…'

* * *

**_

After the ceremony, the day went off without a hitch. Minato and Hamuko met several teachers, such as the Sengoku-obsessed Ono-sensei, Toriumi's enemy Ekoda-sensei, and the self-proclaimed magician Edogawa-sensei. Minato thought each teacher was quirky in his or her own way.

When classes ended for the day, Toriumi stopped by to see Minato and Hamuko, who just happened to be assigned seats next to each other. She came by to see how the first day went. After hearing what had happened, she nodded in approval and left, but not before telling them that if they needed anything, she was a phone call away.

After she left, another student approached the twins. He wore the same uniform as Minato, sans the tie, and had on a blue shirt instead of the white one. He had on a baseball cap and had what appeared to be the start of a goatee on his chin. "S'up? How's it going?" the cap-wearing student greeted them.

"It's going well," Minato greeted back.

"Awesome. Anyways, the name's Iori Junpei. Nice to meet you," the cap-clad student extended a hand.

"Same here. Arisato Minato, and this is my sister, Hamuko," Minato shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Junpei-kun," Hamuko waved.

"I know how tough it is being the new kid; after all, I transferred here in the eighth grade. So, I wanted to say 'hey.' See what a nice guy I am?" Junpei welcomed them.

"Hehehe. You definitely are, Junpei-kun," Hamuko giggled.

"Sweet! I already have you falling for me!" Junpei jumped for joy.

"Sorry, but you're not my type, Junpei-kun," Hamuko apologized, a sad smile on her face.

"Aw… I jumped the gun again," Junpei slumped his shoulders.

"I'm sure you'll make someone happy someday, Junpei-kun. And I wouldn't mind being your friend," Hamuko extended her hand in friendship.

"Well, I'll take any victory I can get," Junpei shrugged as he shook her hand.

"That's the spirit," Minato encouraged him. Just then, Yukari approached the group, glaring at Junpei.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" said Junpei.

"Yuka-tan? That's an awesome nickname!" Hamuko giggled.

Yukari forced back a blush as she crossed her arms. "You're so annoying, Junpei. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?" she fussed.

"What? I was just being friendly. Isn't that right, Hamu-tan?' Junpei looked at Hamuko expectantly.

"Oh, come on, Yukari-chan. Cut the guy some slack. He was only saying hi," Hamuko came to his defense.

"Oh? And what about you, Minato-san?" Yukari turned to Minato for help.

"Eh. I think he's okay," he shrugged.

"See? They think I'm an okay guy!" Junpei beamed with pride.

"Whatever," Yukari held up her hands in surrender. "Anyways, looks like we're all in the same homeroom…"

"Yeah. I know. Funny, isn't it?" Minato remarked.

"Yeah. It must be fate," Hamuko added.

"Fate? Yeah, right," Yukari laughed. "Still, I'm surprised."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Junpei remembered something. "I heard that the three of you came to school together this morning. What's up with that? You three already fast buddies or something more… intimate? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

"I-Intimate?" Hamuko gasped in shock.

"Bloody high schoolers and their bloody rumors," Minato hung his head in disgust.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Yukari stuttered, blushing beet red. "We just live in the same dorm and Mitsuru-sempai asked me to escort them this morning, nothing more!"

"She's right, Junpei-san," Minato added. "Beside we barely know each other."

"It's only the first day and there are already false rumors about me…" Hamuko sulked.

"Great, now I'm worried," Yukari sighed. As she shook her head, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Minato-san. You didn't say anything to anyone about… you know what, did you?" she whispered.

_ 'Wait, why is she bringing that up now? And in front of Junpei?'_ he thought. He glanced over to his left to see that Junpei had a peculiar look on his face, the kind one gets when daydreaming. _'Oh, crap. I know what he's thinking. That's just peachy. Just what I need: people having perverse thoughts about me and Yukari-san,'_ he rubbed his forehead.

"Um… Yukari-san…" Minato jerked his head in Junpei's direction. Yukari looked over at Junpei and saw that same look. She recognized that look and realized what she had said.

"W-Wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea!" Yukari yelled at Junpei.

"L-Last night…?" Junpei asked in a bewildered voice.

"Ew!" Hamuko pointed at Junpei; a small trickle of blood was dripping out of his nose.

_'What the hell? This just keeps getting better!'_ Minato banged his head on his desk.

"Hey! Hey! Listen! I just met Minato-san last night! There's absolutely nothing between us!" Yukari shouted. "Geez…" Yukari took a deep breath and walked over to Junpei and grabbed him by the collar. "Listen up. If you start any rumors about me, Minato-san, or Hamuko-chan, I swear I'll take that hat of yours and ram it down your throat!" she threatened the man.

"G-Got it!" Junpei quickly and wisely replied. Yukari let go of Junpei's collar and turned back to the twins.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, I need to go take of something for the archery team. You two can find your way back to the dorm, right?" Yukari asked.

"We'll be fine, Yukari-san; go take care of your business," Minato replied.

"Good. I see you two later," Yukari turned on her heels and left the classroom.

After Yukari left, Junpei let out a sigh of relief and straightened his collar. "Man… No one takes rumors seriously, anyways," Junpei commented. "She's so paranoid…"

"She just wears her heart on her sleeve, Junpei-san, just like my imoto," Minato replied.

"What?" Junpei's eyes widened as he took a step back.

"Yup. I've been known to go through drastic mood changes in a matter of seconds," Hamuko shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Oh, crap," Junpei sighed. "Last thing we need is TWO Yuka-tans…"

"Don't worry, Junpei-san; so long as you're not being perverse or evil, I think you'll live," Minato said.

"Live? Don't you mean 'I'll be fine?'" Junpei wanted clarification.

"Nope," Minato smirked. Junpei hung his head in defeat, but quickly shrugged it off.

"Enough about that! It's your first day here, and people already are talking about the two of you! Believe it or not, Yuka-tan's pretty popular around here. If you two are already in her circle, then you must be really awesome!" Junpei gave them a thumbs up. "This is gonna be a fun year; I can feel it!"

* * *

After the twins left school, they decided to take some time to look around as they walked home. As they were exploring Iwatodai Station, they came across a unique restaurant.

"Wild-Duck Burger?" Hamuko read the eatery's sign. "Why would someone name a place that? Their burgers made of duck or something?"

"I remember Grandfather mentioning this place once. Said Mom and Dad used to go here back in the day," Minato replied.

"Really? They went here?" Hamuko wondered.

"So I've heard. Want to go in and try it out?" the blue-haired Arisato offered.

"I'd love to," his sister nodded.

* * *

"Just what on earth is this?" Hamuko examined her burger. "Its GREEN!"

"My fries are soggy…" Minato held up a couple of limp fries.

"I'm not even sure protein was used in this," Hamuko frowned as she looked it over before reluctantly taking a bite.

"Well, how does it taste?" Minato watched his sister swallow her food.

"Heh. Well, they definitely need to work on presentation, but this is good!" Hamuko happily took a second bite of her green burger. "And it's kobe beef at that!"

"I still don't get you how you can tell kobe beef from regular beef. And why the hell would you color a burger GREEN?" Minato eyed the burger.

"Probably because the mascot is green," Hamuko pointed to a nearby statue of an anthropomorphic green duck.

"This is one weird place…" Minato slowly began eating his burger as well.

* * *

After experimenting with Iwatodai's cuisine, the Arisato twins returned to the dorm, where they found Mitsuru sitting on one of the couches, intensely reading a book.

"Welcome back," Misturu looked up from the book she was reading.

"Evening, Mitsuru-sempai," Hamuko replied. "How was your first day?"

"It went rather well," she replied. "How about you two?"

"It was a blast," Minato smiled. "Met the teachers, chatted with random folk, and the usual."

"I've heard that your godmother is your homeroom teacher; is that true?" Mitsuru asked.

_'I'm not surprised. Since she's the Kirijo heir, and that her father and my grandfather are acquaintances, she's probably privy to all kinds of information,'_ Minato smirked.

"Yes, that's true," Hamuko answered.

"I see…" Mitsuru closed her eyes in thought. "Well, I guess it should be okay, as long as she treats you the same as any other student. However, I should warn you; if I find out that Toriumi-sensei has been fabricating your grades or giving you a free pass, you'll all answer to ME, got it?" she glared the siblings down.

_'Holy crap! That woman's scary as hell!'_ Minato felt the sweat crawling down his back.

"Yes, ma'am!" both of them stuttered out.

"Excellent. Now then, I'm guessing you're tired after a long first day; why don't you two head upstairs and relax?" Mitsuru suggested.

"Okay," Hamuko replied, and then turned to her brother. "Hey, aniki, want to come hang out in my room for awhile?" she asked.

"Oh, that reminds me; dorm policy explicitly says that boys are not allowed in any of the girls' rooms and vice-versa," Mitsuru informed them. "However… seeing as how you two are twin siblings, I suppose an exception can be made. But I expect you two to only go into each other's rooms, and be back in your assigned rooms by curfew. Violating the policy any more than that would be ill-advised."

"Understood, sempai. Well, I hope you have a good evening," Minato bowed to Mitsuru.

"Same to you," Mitsuru went back to her book.

* * *

Minato and Hamuko were sitting on Hamuko's bed, going over the day's events and about how the first day went. "…I can't believe that Ekoda-sensei! He threatened to take my MP3 player away just because I didn't know exactly how many works Shakespeare wrote! Who does he think he is?" Hamuko griped about her teacher.

"I seriously think there's something rammed up his rear end," Minato frowned.

"Most likely a baseball bat…" she grumbled.

"That's probably true," Minato chuckled.

"Anyways, what do you think of Gekkoukan in general?" she asked.

"I think it's a nice school. I can see why our parents loved it," Minato replied.

"Yeah, me too," Hamuko sighed. "Let's make them proud, okay?"

"Okay," Minato promised. "Now to a new topic; have you noticed the bugs crawling around the dorm?"

"I have. What's up with that?" Hamuko complained.

"I honestly don't know. There were quite a bit in the bathroom this morning. Had to flood the tub a couple of times to get rid of them. Why don't they fumigate the place?" Minato wanted to know.

"Ew! That's just nasty, aniki! Bugs in the bathroom!" Hamuko shivered. "I thought this was supposed to have high standards, not sub-standard quality."

"Yeah, I know…" Minato grumbled. "Perhaps we should go complain or something."

"Yeah! Let's find the dorm supervisor tomorrow and file a complaint!" Hamuko decided. "How does that sound?"

"Sounds good. So, how about we go get a snack or something? All this tension is making me hungry," Minato's stomach rumbled.

"Silly aniki, always thinking with his stomach," Hamuko giggled.

"Hey!" Minato cried out in fake anger.

* * *

Downstairs in the kitchen, the twins were preparing a couple of sandwiches when they heard a couple of voices. Hamuko took a look beyond the divide that separated the lounge from the kitchen and saw that Mitsuru-sempai was talking to a man her age. He had short, silver hair, and wore the Gekkoukan uniform with a red sweater-vest overtop his shirt and had leather gloves on his hands. He wore the same armband that Yukari and Mitsuru had been wearing previously and had a silver gun holstered to his belt.

"Aniki! Get over here!" Hamuko motioned him over. Minato came over to where his sister was and the two spied on the conversation.

"…the newspaper? There's a lot going on," the young man told Mitsuru.

"…I know," Mitsuru sighed. "People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome…"

_'Apathy Syndrome? That mysterious illness that has been inflicting the city on and off for the last several years that basically turns those inflicted with it into mindless zombies? I remember Grandfather telling me about it and how there's yet to be a cure to be found, or even anything about the illness itself,'_ Minato recalled.

"I've seen it in the news quite often lately," Mitsuru continued. "They say it's due to stress, but…"

"Yeah, right," the silver-haired student spat. "It has to be THEM. Otherwise, it's not worth my time…"

_ 'Them? Something or someone's purposely causing the Apathy Syndrome and Mitsuru-sempai and this new kid somehow know the core cause?'_

"You have a one-track mind," Mitsuru scolded the kid. "Will you be okay on your own? The Chairman will be here for the next few days, but after that, I can…"

"Don't worry; I'm just getting a little practice," the kid waved off Mitsuru's concern as he walked out the door.

"This isn't a game, Akihiko," Mitsuru sighed as she went back to her book.

_'Well, that was a lucky break,'_ a pleased Minato though._ 'That helps quite a bit.'_

Quietly, Minato led Hamuko back upstairs.

* * *

Back in Hamuko's room, the two discussed what they had overheard and tried to piece everything they had learned together. "So, overall, what do you think is going on here?" Hamuko asked her brother.

"Well, piecing together everything we've learned so far, this is what I think is going on here," Minato took a deep breath. "You recall the Apathy Syndrome, correct?" he asked, to which Hamuko nodded. "Good; Grandfather once told me that next to nothing is known about it and it only seems to be concentrated here in Iwatodai. Judging from what that Akihiko person told Mitsuru-sempai, it seems like those two and possibly Yukari know who or what is behind the Apathy Syndrome."

"You think that it's terrorists?" Hamuko interrupted.

"Well, from what Akihiko-san said, the fact that Mitsuru-sempai and Yukari-san are active during Green Midnight, and that Akihiko-san is a part of their 'group', I'm under the impression that the Apathy Syndrome is inflicted by 'The Beasts of the Night'," Minato theorized.

"The Beasts of the Night?" Hamuko gasped. "But… if that's true, why hasn't cases of Apathy Syndrome appeared in other places as well; we both know the Beasts are around everywhere and we've never seen Apathy Syndrome where we live."

"Who knows? My guess would be that there ARE cases of the disease around the world, but have yet to be recognized. As for why the cases are concentrated here, I'd say that either the Beasts come from this area, whatever controls the Beasts is here, or possibly both."

"That does make sense. But then, what's the role Mitsuru-sempai and the others are playing here?" Hamuko wondered.

"I believe that they're in opposition of the Beasts and whatever they answer to. Mitsuru-sempai said something about a 'Chairman'… They are most likely their leader or something to that effect. He or she probably rounded them up to oppose the beasts," Minato nodded.

"What I don't get is why not tell the police or the military. I thought that very few people are active during Green Midnight, but apparently there's more than we thought. So, why not get those who are active and in the right positions to help? Why use teenagers?" Hamuko asked.

"Maybe it's because there's something special about them? I don't really know," Minato frowned. "And what's our role in this? Were we really brought in here by accident or did this 'Chairman' bring us in and is trying to see if we're 'worthy' of joining the group that's been set up?" Minato rubbed his chin.

"I'm not liking this one bit, aniki. I think Grandpa needs to know," Hamuko clenched her skirt in her hands.

"Okay. We'll email him what we've learned so far, but tell him we're handling this for now," Minato clutched her shoulder.

"Arigato, aniki," Hamuko hugged him.

"Anything for you, imoto," Minato hugged her back. _'Just what the hell is going on here? Mother... Father… please, help us if you can…'

* * *

_

I hope you guys really are enjoying this. Next chapter, I'll be presenting brand new material for the reboot! I can't wait!_  
_


	3. Magician of Bluebell Flames

Welcome to a new chapter of Dual Journey! As promise, this is when we REALLY start seeing new material here. I really hope you enjoy the new changes. Also, if you're a Souji/Yukiko fan, then I ask that you check out my new one-shot, Everlasting Bond. This site needs more Souji/Yukiko love. But enough about P4. Let's get back to some P3 awesome!

* * *

**In-Game Date: **April 9, 2009

**Chapter 3: **_**Magician of Bluebell Flames**_

The next morning, Minato and Hamuko were on the train to school, mulling over last night's events. Minato decided to strike up a conversation. "I sent an email last night, and, to my complete surprise, I heard from Grandfather," said Minato.

"You did!" Hamuko gasped.

"Yeah; I checked my email this morning and found a message; I was surprised to see that he responded even while undercover." Minato replied. "It was a quick message, though."

"What did Grandpa say?" Hamuko asked.

"He said that we should stay alert and watch each other's backs. He also said that we can and should trust Mitsuru-sempai and that if we needed any more help, we were to contact Naoko," said Minato.

"That's it?" Hamuko asked, sad that there wasn't more.

"Yeah, that's it. Sorry," answered Minato.

"Well, I had hoped for more, but when life gives you lemons…" said Hamuko.

"That's true," Minato nodded. "But let's worry about all that later; we gotta get through school first."

* * *

The school day was passing by very slowly. It was going by so fast that by the time Toriumi-sensei had appeared for her class, Minato had his head on his desk, on the verge of sleeping. Just when sleep was about to take hold… "Psst!" Junpei woke him. "Who's Toriumi-sensei's favorite author?"

"Um… that'd be Yoshimura-sensei," Minato mumbled.

"Yoshimura," Junpei said out loud.

"That's right!" Toriumi smiled. "So you were listening to me after all!"

"Eheheh…" Junpei rubbed his head in embarrassment. "You know how I like to pay attention." When Toriumi got reabsorbed into her lecture, Junpei got Minato's attention.

"Man, you saved my bacon, Minato!" Junpei thanked him. "I owe you big time!"

_'You can owe me by letting me go to sleep,'_ Minato thought, vocally responding with "You're welcome. Can I go to sleep now?"

"Do what you wish, Minato," Junpei nodded, grinning.

_ 'Heh, only one day and he's dropped the honorific. He must think highly of me,'_ was Minato's last thought as he drifted to sleep.

* * *

That night, the Arisatos arrived back at the dorm to see that Yukari was talking to an older man. He had long brown hair and wore a brown suit with a dark brown sweater underneath. He also had on a pair of glasses that had round lenses. He had a bit of a goofy grin on his face, like he was some sort of clown.

"Oh, they're back!" Yukari announced. The man looked over the twins as he stood up.

"So these are our new guests…" the man rubbed his chin.

"Um… can we help you?" Hamuko asked.

"Oh. Sorry," the man smiled. "I got lost in thought. My name is Ikutsuki Shuji. I'm the Chairman of the Board for Gekkoukan High." Ikutsuki extended his hand. Hamuko eagerly shook his hand. Ikutsuki then extended it to Minato.

_'Something's not quite right about him. This guy kinda gives me the creeps,'_ Minato thought as he reluctantly shook Ikutsuki's hand. "Evening, Izuki-san," he said, not letting his thoughts show.

"It's 'Ikutsuki'," Ikutsuki corrected him. "Hard to say, isn't it?"

"It is, Ikuski-san," said Hamuko.

"And that is why I don't like introducing myself; even I get tongue-tied sometimes," Ikutsuki chuckled. "Please, have a seat." All of them took seats in the lounge, with Minato sitting next to Yukari, Hamuko next to Minato, and Ikutsuki opposite all three of them.

"I must apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations," said Ikutsuki. "However, it may take awhile before you're assigned your real dorms. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

_'Hm… if I play my cards right, I might be able to learn something. And he said he's the Chairman of the Board? Would that make him the same 'Chairman' Mitsuru-sempai mentioned?'_ thought Minato.

"I have a question. Would it be okay for aniki and I to actually stay here? I like being with him," Hamuko requested.

"Well… this is a dorm for 'special students'," Ikutsuki replied. "I'll see what I can do, but I cannot promise anything."

"Who else lives here?" Minato asked. "So far, I've only met Yukari-san and Mitsuru-sempai."

"Well, besides those two, there's a senior named Sanada Akihiko. With you and your sister, that makes five in total," Ikutsuki informed them.

"Ah, okay," Minato nodded. "So why exactly are you here?"

"To welcome you two, of course; every spring, I go around and welcome the new students," Ikutsuki smiled. "Although, to be completely honest, I do have other business here as well." Ikutsuki then turned to Yukari. "While we're on that topic, where is Mitsuru?" he asked.

"I believe she's upstairs doing things," Yukari replied.

"As diligent as always," Ikutsuki nodded. "It wouldn't hurt for her to come down and say hello, though." He then refocused his attention on the Arisatos. "Are there any other questions?" he asked as he cleaned his glasses.

_'Hm… his guard seems to be down,' _Minato observed._ 'This might be a good opportunity to get some info.'_ "Well, I did see something the other night," he said.

Ikutsuki's eyes widened in surprise and Yukari suddenly paled _'Ah, it seems like I got them,' _Minato smirked.

"You saw something strange? Like what?" Ikutsuki inquired.

Before Minato could say anything, Hamuko beat him to the punch. "Bugs; lots of them. Does the dorm have an infestation problem or something?" Hamuko asked.

Ikutsuki immediately relaxed and color returned to Yukari. "Ah, yes. I must apologize about that. We meant to fumigate the place prior to the start to the semester, but other things came up. I promise you that it'll be taken care of in the near future." Ikutsuki promised.

"Ah, okay," Hamuko nodded.

"Is they anything else you'd like to ask?" Ikutsuki inquired.

"Hm… nothing right now," Minato replied.

"Okay, then. Just know that if you need anything, you can usually find me around here at least once a week. Or if it's more urgent, let Mitsuru or the school know." Ikutsuki informed them. "Now then… I recommend that you turn in early. As they say, 'The early bird gets the bookworm!'"

Hamuko and Yukari's faces cringed up at the bad pun.

_'Holy mother of pearl! That was god awful!'_ Minato's eye twitched.

"Please forgive the bad pun," Ikutsuki chuckled. "If you'll excuse me…" Ikutsuki took his leave upstairs to locate Mitsuru.

"Yukari-chan, please don't tell me he does that ALL the time…" Hamuko groaned.

"Sadly, he does. You'll eventually get used to them," Yukari sighed.

"Oh, heavens, I really hope that doesn't happen," Minato hung his head in annoyance.

* * *

As Minato slept, he began to dream. In his dream, he was in a field, sitting against a tree when his sister approached him, a giant mallet in hand. "Let's play Whack-a-Mole, aniki!" Hamuko passed a giant mallet to Minato.

"What's the prize if I win?" Minato asked.

"You get cookies!" Hamuko chirped.

"Sweet! Let's get this party started!" Minato gripped his mallet tight and approached the holes in front of him. Suddenly, a person popped out of one of the holes.

"Chairman?" Minato looked on confused.

"Hi there! Holey Moley! It looks like we'll have some 'holesome' fun here, won't we?" Ikutsuki chucked.

"Oh, that does it! I'm gonna get you!" Minato swung hard, narrowly missing Ikutsuki.

"A swing and a miss!" Ikutsuki called out from another hole. "Swing, batter batter! Swing!"

"Get back here!" Minato chased after him.

* * *

After finally managing to nail Ikutsuki on the head, Minato was sitting down, munching on his cookies when a bright flash of light blinded him. A moment later, a mysterious blue door appeared in front of him.

"Where on earth did this door come from?" Minato wondered.

**"Please, come in,"** a gravely, masculine voice called out.

"Well, okay…" Minato seemed confused. He approached the door and opened it, allowing bright light to blind him. As he shielded his eyes, he entered through the door, not knowing what was on the other side. The next thing Minato knew, he was sitting in a chair. As his sight returned to him, he was able to see where he had ended up. The room he had ended up in apparently was a large elevator that was going up; he judged this from the way the scenery was traveling. The elevator had metal grates for walls, allowing Minato to see all around him. There were several pieces of furniture in the elevator, covered in blue sheets. The floor was covered with blue velvet carpet. The table in front of Minato was perfectly round, covered in a blue sheet. On the other side of the table was a blue velvet loveseat. Sitting in the loveseat was an older gentleman. He was bald and wore an old-fashioned suit. He was hunched over in a way that gave him the appearance of a hunched back. His most defining feature, however, was his nose. It was easily a meter long and quite pointy.

_'Dear god, his nose is long!'_ Minato gasped.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man," the long-nosed man greeted Minato. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance." The man known as Igor gestured to his left. Standing to his left was a young woman. She had platinum blond hair and yellow eyes. She wore a dress colored the same blue as the objects in the elevator. Elbow-length gloves adorned her hands and knee-length boots were on her feet, both of which were blue as well. She had a blue cap on her head and had a neutral expression on her face.

"This is my assistant, Elizabeth. She's a resident here, like me." Igor introduced her.

"Pleased to meet you," the woman bowed.

"Um… nice to meet the both of you," Minato reluctantly smiled. "I am Arisato Minato."

"Excellent," Igor smiled.

"So, where exactly am I? One moment, I'm sitting around, eating cookies after pounding the Chairman into the ground, and I know that was a dream. So what is this? Did I just eat something bad or is my mind just playing with me today?" Minato asked.

"Ah, that is a good question. You see, this place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter," Igor explained.

"Mind and matter? Dream and reality? Are you saying I'm in Limbo?" Minato asked, somewhat worried.

"No, not exactly…" Igor chuckled. "You could say that this place is where everything meets. Where all things start and all things end."

"So, it's like a central hub for all of existence?" Minato asked.

"Precisely," Igor nodded. "Anyways, it's been years since we had a guest. I am glad that we now have a visitor once more." Igor waved his hand and a red book appeared on the table between them. It opens up to reveal a very familiar document to Minato.

_ 'Wait a second! That's the contract that weird kid made me sign the other day!'_ Minato realized.

"I see that you recognize this," Igor smiled.

"Yes. What exactly is it? The boy said something about a contract…" said Minato.

"It's exactly as the contracts states; that you vow to take responsibility for any and all choices that you make," Igor explained. "Only those that have signed such a contract can enter this Velvet Room; henceforth, you shall be welcome here. You are destined to hone your unique ability and you will require my help to do so. I only ask that you do one thing in return…"

Igor looked Minato right in the eye. _'Heavens, this man is creepy! And it makes his nose look even bigger!'_ he gasped._ 'And what did he mean by my unique ability?'_

"All I ask is that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices that you make," said Igor. "Do you understand?"

"I think so, but what is this 'unique ability' you mentioned?" Minato asked.

"Hehehe. You will find out soon enough," Igor grinned. "Elizabeth." Elizabeth stepped forward and placed something on the table. It was a small blue key with a butterfly engraving on one end.

"This is for you," said Elizabeth.

"I ask that you hold onto this," Igor requested.

"Okay…" Minato pocketed the key.

"Until we meet again…" Igor smirked.

The next thing Minato knew, all was turning white, and all went blank.

* * *

**In Game Date: **April 9, 2009

All of a sudden, Minato found himself back in his room, fully dressed. It was already morning and he felt quite dizzy.

_'What on earth? I think I'm awake, but I don't remember dressing myself. And then there's that weird dream with Long Nose,'_ Minato rubbed his forehead. Out of habit, he shoved his hands into his pockets and felt something weird in one of them. _'Wait a second. Last time I checked, my pockets were empty. You don't think…'_

Minato pulled the object out of his pocket and gasped. In his hand was the very same blue key that was given to him in that weird dream last night. _'What in the world! How did I get this? Was that really just a dream?' _Minato questioned himself. Before Minato could ponder any of this further, someone began knocking on the door.

"It's Yukari. Are you ready to go?"

"Sure, just a minute!" he called out. _'Ugh, I'll just worry about this later,'_ Minato decided as he stashed the key back in his pocket.

* * *

Minato's thoughts were so wrapped up regarding the blue key he found that the rest of the day was tuned out from him. He vaguely recalled meeting Junpei in front of the school, Ekoda-sensei talking about something called 'Monogate' or something like that, and Hamuko and Yukari trying to get his attention. As soon as school ended, he left, not paying attention to anything else, like he was on auto-pilot. After arriving back at the dorm, he spent the rest of the day trying to figure out the meaning of the dream and Igor's words, only venturing out for the bathroom and dinner. Minato even went to bed early, hoping the weird long-nosed man would appear in his dreams once more.

* * *

"STUPEI!"

Minato whipped around to see that Junpei was running down the hall as fast as he could, Yukari hot on his heels.

"I'm going to kill you, Stupei!" Yukari shouted as she brandished a giant mallet.

"Aaah!" Junpei shouted as he ran as fast as he could. "I didn't mean to look up your skirt, Yuka-tan!"

"Idiot…" Minato shook his head.

"I'm still gonna kill you!" Yukari jumped into the air and swung her hammer as hard as she could. Junpei managed to dodge, causing Yukari to hit the ground instead. The force of the hammer hitting the ground so hard caused everything to shake.

"Whoa!" the quake sent Minato tumbling.

"Augh!" Minato screamed as he fell. After blacking out for a second, Minato shook his head and looked around. He was back in his room, on the floor, which meant he was awake. _'What on earth? Did the dream really startle me that much? Or was there really some kind of quake just now?'_ Minato frowned. Just then, someone rapped on the door several times.

"Wake up!" Yukari shouted from the other side of the door. "I'm sorry, but I'm coming in!" Yukari apparently had a key with her for she unlocked the door and came inside. She also had several weapons on her person. The gun was strapped to her thigh once more. She also had a quiver full of arrows and a large bow hanging from her back. Also strapped to her back seemed to be a black pole with a blade on one end. In her left hand, she held what appeared to be a well-used sword. _'Wow, she's armed to the tooth!'_ Minato gasped. Yukari noticed Minato's shocked expression and spoke before he could.

"I don't have time to explain; we have to get out of here, now!" Yukari warned.

"What the devil's going on here, Yukari! What's with all the weapons?" Minato asked, not caring for respect or honorifics at the moment. Just then, the building violently shook, knocking Yukari to the ground. It was at this moment that Minato realized that everything was tinted green.

_'Oh, hell no, It's Green Midnight! Which means… No! Not here! Not now!'_ his eyes widened. Minato quickly got up and helped Yukari to her feet. "Yukari, we have to get out of here, now!" Minato ordered.

"I know! We'll get your sister and leave through the backdoor downstairs!" Yuarki suggested.

"Got it!" Minato nodded. As Minato quickly threw on his boots, Yukari handed him the sword that she was holding.

"Take this, just in case," she suggested. Minato took the rapier in hand and gave a couple of swings with it.

_'Not the best choice out there, but it'll do,'_ he thought. The building shook once more, causing Minato and Yukari to stumble.

"Let's go!" Yukari barked. The two of them ran out of his room and down the hallway and made their way to the stairs.

"Aniki!" a voice called out. Hamuko was quickly dashing down the stairs and flung herself into her brother's arms. "Aniki, they're here! The Beasts of the Night are here! What do we do!" she demanded to know.

"We have to get out of here, Hamuko," Minato ordered. "Stick with us."

"Okay, aniki," Haumko nodded.

"Hamuko-chan, please take this. Just in case," Yukari handed her the pole that she had on her back.

"A naginata?" Hamuko took the weapon. "Well, it's like a baton, so I guess I can use it."

**"YEE!"** A loud, piercing screech, akin to nails on a chalkboard, pieced the silence.

"What the hell was that?" Hamuko clenched her ears.

"Who cares? Let's get out of here!" Minato ordered.

Minato and the girls ran downstairs, Yukari leading the way. They managed to make it to the backdoor, behind the kitchen. "Alright, we should be safe now," Yukari breathed a sigh of relief.

As Minato reached for the door, Yukari's hand went up to her ear. "Yes, I read you!" Yukari shouted.

Minato noticed that Yukari had on an earpiece.

_'A radio? Who's she talking to?'_ he wondered.

"What!" she gasped. Just then, loud, forceful knocks came from the door, like someone was trying to break down. "Crap! We can't go that way!" Minato growled.

"And our sempai are both at the front, fighting! Where do we go now?" Yukari was beginning to panic.

"Can we go up?" Hamuko asked. "Surely there must be a way out there."

"Of course! There's an emergency fire escape from the roof; we can use that!" Yukari remembered. The door was slammed against again, showing signs that it could buckle at any time.

"Then let's get out of here before they get us!" Minato ordered.

The three of them quickly made their way over to the stairs and began ascending them; as they climbed, Minato took the opportunity to get some answers out of Yukari.

"Yukari-san, how exactly are you guys involved with the Beasts of the Night?" Minato needed to know.

"Beasts of the Night?" Yukari was confused.

"You know. Black blobs with weird masks. Sometimes takes the shape of animals, statues, or other inanimate objects," Hamuko described.

"You know of the Shadows?" Yukari gasped.

"Is that what you call them?" Minato noted.

"Yeah, but, how do two know of them?" she was shocked. **BOOM!** The dorm violently shook once more, nearly causing all three to fall down.

"That's a story for another time; we have to keep moving!" shouted Minato.

The three managed to make it to the top floor, which was pretty much empty, with only a single, inconspicuous door to be found.

"There! If we go out through there, we'll be okay!" Yukari pointed to the door.

Minato opened the door and went through it first, rapier ready to go. Hamuko followed, her naginata clenched in both hands. Yukari followed behind her, her bow already notched with an arrow. The dorm's roof was completely barren except for a fire ladder that was rolled up nearby.

"It's quiet out here," Minato frowned. "Where are they?"

"I think the sempai finished them off," Yukari breathed a sigh of relief. "I think we're okay for now…" **BOOM!** The ground shook once more, knocking the three to the ground.

"What on earth?" Hamuko nearly lost her balance.

**"YEE!"** the screech echoed through the air again. A **'whoosh'** sound could be heard as well.

"Everyone, get ready!" Minato shouted.

**"YEE!"** the screech pierced their ears again. Suddenly, a large object shot into the sky, high above the clouds.

"What the hell…" Minato stared at where the object disappeared.

As he continued to stare, the large object looped backwards towards the green moon, a silhouette appearing against it. From the distance he was at, Minato couldn't clearly see what it was, but he had a good guess. "Is that a …" He began again, fighting off a tremble in his voice.

**"YEE!"** the screech came again, this time accompanied by a sudden ball of blue fire. Minato, Yukari and Hamuko all jerked away and covered their faces, but the heat from the flames were still there. When the three were able to look up again, the shape from before was visible over the ring of blue fire, this time fully visible as it hovered in front of them.

Minato's faced paled rapidly, and both Yukari and Hamuko screamed.

"DRAGON!"

It was large, easily fifteen feet long from nose to tail, covered in navy blue scales. Each one of its feet had five turquoise colored claws, and as it opened its mouth again, it showed razor sharp, white teeth that were as long as Minato's arm. A gold collar with a long, scale shaped gem dangling from it hung off of its neck, the ruby glinting evilly in the green light. Its right eye was a light teal color, but the left blazed gold from within a scarred socket. Four turquoise horns sprouted out of its head, and a long, blue-grey mane was buffeted in the breeze the dragon kicked up by landing on the roof. On its chest was an ornate blue mask with the Roman numeral for one engraved on it.

Extending large, glasslike wings that were more birdlike than dragonlike, it let out the same ear-splitting screech from before, looking at the three before him like they were dinner.

_'We are SO dead.' _

"What the hell is a DRAGON doing here?" Hamuko cowered before the dragon standing before them. "How is it even here?"

"I… I don't know why a Beast took a draconic form, but I'm not about to just sit here and find out," Minato held his sword tight. "We've got to fight!"

Yukari immediately unholstered her gun and pointed it to her head, hyperventilating while doing so.

"The fuck?" Minato gasped.

"Yukari! What you doing?" Hamuko shouted. "Don't do it! We can win this!"

"Here goes!" Yukari took a deep breath, trying to pull the trigger.

**"YEE!"** the dragon screeched, paralyzing everyone with fear.

"I… I can't move!" Minato shouted.

A ball of blue flames formed in the dragon's left front paw, its intense heat distorting the air around it. The dragon then threw the flame right at Yukari, knocking her into a wall.

"Yukari!" Minato shouted.

The blue dragon then whipped its tail around, striking Hamuko.

"Hamuko!" Minato shouted as he saw her skid towards the roof's edge.

Friction was able to slow Hamuko down and she stopped before falling over; however, she was knocked out, unable to do a thing.

'_I… I have to move!'_ Minato forced his body to overcome the paralysis. He rushed forward to save his sister, but found himself confronted by the dragon.

"Damn!" Minato swore, staring the dragon down.

The dragon formed another ball of flames and threw it at Minato, knocking him right next to Yukari's unconscious form.

"Ugh…" Minato groaned out as he struggled to stay awake.

The dragon began to crawl towards Hamuko, a hungry look on its face.

"…No!" Minato forced himself to get back up. As he struggled to his feet, he noticed Yukari's gun right in front of him and the young boy Minato encountered when he first arrived appeared before him.

"Go on…" the boy whispered. Minato picked up the gun and looked at it. He looked over at Yukari, who was beginning to wake up, and at Hamuko, out cold in front of the dragon.

_ 'What was she trying to do? And would it work?'_ he thought.

"Yukari… Hamuko…" Minato sadly whispered.

"Do it…" the boy commanded.

_'I hope this works…'_ Minato closed his eyes. Minato put the gun to his right temple, his breathing rattled. The gun shook in his hand as he attempted to summon the courage to pull the trigger. As he pulled the trigger, he instinctively whispered a single word.

"Per… So… Na…"

* * *

YES, I have turned the Full Moon/Arcana Shadows into Dragons! Mwahahahaha! Awesome! :D The dragon is a character created by my beta, Lady Starwing, and I find the Arcana Shadows taking the form of dragons to be a nice change of pace from the usual Arcana Shadow fights. This is just the first of the new changes I've made from Green Midnight, so stay tuned. Next chapter, the Master of Strings shall come forth!


	4. Master of Strings

Welcome to Chapter 4! We're kicking things into high gear now! Time to face down that dragon! I promise this battle will be unlike anything seen in Version 1 of the story! Credits to Lady Starwing for all her help with this. Have fun!

* * *

_**In-Game Date: **_April 9, 2009_** (Dark Hour)**_

_**Chapter 4:**_** Master of Strings**

"Per… So… Na."

**BANG!**

The gun went off, but instead of turning Minato's head into a fine pink mist, what appeared to be broken blue glass shot out from the other side of his skull. It began collecting above him, shifting and roiling into the form of a metallic puppet, colored silver and white with speakers built into its chest and torso. On its back was a giant lyre and a red scarf adorned its neck. Unlike the rest of its body, the head seemed organic, bearing a resemblance to Minato, right down to the locks of white hair covering its right eye.

_**"Thou art I… and I am thou…"**_ the being spoke through the speakers built into its body. _**"From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, master of strings…"**_

Orpheus flew right at the blue dragon, lyre in its hands. It struck the dragon hard in the side of head, knocking it down; Orpheus then vanished in a flash of blue light. Seeing his chance, Minato rushed over to his sister.

"Hamuko! Are you okay!" Minato patted Hamuko's cheek.

"A ... Aniki ..." Hamuko weakly moaned as she began to wake up.

"Hamuko! Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" Minato breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Aniki! The - what happened?" she clenched her head as Minato helped her up. "Is the dragon gone now?"

"No. Not yet. Get ready," Minato warned her as he took a defensive position with his sword and gun.

"G-Gotcha!" Hamuko slowly stood up, using her naginata as a crutch.

The dragon shook its head, regaining its senses, and faced down Arisato twins, letting out another **"YEEE!"**

Minato instantly felt his body lock up again. "No, not again!" He tried to move, but his body refused to answer his commands. "Damn! I can't move again! How does it keep doing that?"

"I-It keeps hurting my ears! Maybe it's doing something to our inner ears!" Hamuko theorized. She then sucked in some air as a look of realization lit up her face. "Yukari-chan, did he get you too?"

"Crap! I forgot about Yukari!" Minato scolded himself. '_Dammit, how'd that happen?'_ He tried to turn and see Yukari's status, but whatever the dragon had done was still in effect. "Dammit, I can't tell if she's okay. Hamuko, can you see anything? Last I saw, she was out cold."

"Nope, I can't move!" Hamuko replied. "We've got to do something!"

"**Yee!**" the blue dragon took to the air, gathering more blue fire in its forepaws.

"OH SHIT!" Minato's eyes widened. "We gotta move or we're gonna become charcoal!" He tried yet again to move, but his body was still locked up.

"AIEEEE!" Hamuko tried to move as well, yet she was just as stuck as her brother.

Minato's eyes looked up to see the dragon's fire took the form of a perfect sphere, glowing an eerie teal."Dammit!" Minato shut his eyes, preparing for the worst.

**"YEE!"** The dragon arched back, ready to throw its fire.

"Io!" a voice called out as a blast of green wind blasted the dragon back, the flames sputtering out as it fell from the dragon's forepaws.

** "SQUACK!" **the dragon squawked out as it tumbled in the air.  
"What the heck was that noise?" Minato opened his eyes to see the dragon get blasted again with green wind. "What was that?" Minato involuntarily took a step forward. "Hey!" he realized. "I can move!" Minato tested his limbs, and sure enough, he was limber again.

"Me too!" Hamuko rotated her arms around.

"Phew. I stopped it." Minato heard someone who sounded elated. He turned to see Yukari running towards them. "Yukari! You're okay!" Minato smiled.

"I'm glad you're okay as well," Yukari smiled back before seeing her gun in Minato's hand "Did you..."  
"Yeah, I used it," Minato interrupted her. "Summoned this freaky puppet."

"Wai ... what?" Hamuko looked at them with a confused looked. "What are you…" Hamuko caught sight of the gun in Minato's hand and slowly back away from the sight of the weapon**.** "W-what did you do, aniki?"

"I'm not sure myself," Minato honestly replied.

"He summoned his Persona," Yukari answered.

"My what now?" a puzzled Minato asked.

"A Persona?" Hamuko repeated Yukari's answer.

"I'll explain later. But for right now, I'm going to need you to take this," Yukari pulled out another gun from her pink cardigan and handed it to Hamuko. "To use it, you have to put it to your head and pull the trigger."

Hamuko's eyes widened and her body locked up at the suggestion of suicide. "D - do I have to?" she stuttered out.

_ 'Oh, crap! That's right! I forgot Hamuko's afraid of guns!'_ Minato cursed himself.

**"YEE!"** The dragon had recovered from Yukari's attacks and was now snarling at them, a hungry look crossing its face.

"Looks like we don't have much of a choice. Hamuko, take it," Minato told his sister. "I won't force you to use it, but I think taking it would be best."  
"Please. Without it, I doubt we'll stand a chance," Yukari pleaded with her.

"I…" Hamuko stared at the gun for a moment before loudly gulping. "A-alright," she nervously took the gun. "Let's just get rid of the dragon!"

**"YEE!"** the dragon spread out its wings in a mantling gesture, its eyes maliciously flashing.

"Let's do this, everyone!" Minato pointed his sword right at the dragon.

"You're going down!" Yukari prepped her bow for an attack.

**"YEE!"** the dragon tookto the air again, gathering more fire to throw at the three teens. With another cry of **"YEE!" **it chucked the fireball right at Hamuko.

"Ah!" Hamuko rolled out of the way of the fireball.

"Oh, no you don't! Orpheus!" Minato put the gun to his head and called forth the puppet once more. Orpheus appeared above Minato and strummed its lyre, bombarding the dragon with a yellow light. The dragon merely shrugged off the blast. "Hey! That didn't do a thing!"

"What exactly did that do?" Hamuko asked as the dragon landed on the roof. She then rushed in, not bothering to wait for an answer.

Yukari fired an arrow at Enyaz. "That was Tarunda! It lowers the target's attacking power temporarily!" she explained.

"Really? Sweet! Let's take advantage of it!" Minato rushed in to attack.

**"YEE!"** the dragon let out another cry, trying to paralyze the group again.

"I don't think so!" Hamuko slashed the dragon's leg with weapon. The dragon lashed back, swinging its tail and wings around.

"Gah! Yukari got knocked down by one of the dragon's wings.

"Yukari!" Minato rushed to her side. "You okay?"

"I'm fine!" Yukari quickly got back up. "We have to keep going! Garu!" Yukari used her gun, causing a giant bull's skull with a young girl resembling Yukari to appear above her. The skull then fired a blast of wind at the dragon, hitting it dead on.

**"YEE!"** the dragon stumbled off the roof, but it saved itself by taking to the air again. **"YEE!"** the dragon created a massive fireball and threw it at Yukari and Minato.

"Aniki! Yukari-chan!" Hamuko tried to warn them.

"GAH!" the blue ball exploded right in their faces, sending them into the wall. They both collapsed onto the roof, too weakened to do a thing.

Hamuko looked over her shoulder, seeing the injured Minato and Yukari on the ground. "Why you sonovua…" she growled, clenching her weapon tight. "…DRAGON!" she lunged right at the dragon, only to get smacked aside by its tail. Hamuko quickly recovered, but… "Oh no!" she gasped; the dragon's last attack had disarmed her, her naginata under the dragon's feet.

**"YEE!"** the dragon landed and began stalking towards Hamuko.

Minato, seeing his sister in danger, tried to get up, but quickly found himself face-first with the roof. "Imoto…" he choked out, barely staying awake.

Yukari was struggling against her injuries to use her gun. "If I... can only..." she whispered, apparently having a plan.

Hamuko ran over to Minato, tears in her eyes "A-Aniki, please, get up!" she tried to encourage him, but Minato was took weak to respond. Through her tears, she spotted Minato's gun in his hand. Her eyes lit up as she remembered the gun Yukari had given her. "I… I…" she took out the gun Yukari had given her and put it to her forehead. "Please don't let him eat me!"

** BANG!**

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the air, actually causing the dragon to stop. A blue mist surround Hamuko and took form above her head. The figure now floating above her was very similar to the Orpheus that Minato brought forth, except it was red and orange, had a longer, feminine hairstyle, and its lyre was heart-shaped.

_"Thou art I, and I art thou. From the sea of thy soul I come forth. I am Eurydice, lady of the lyre…" _the puppet spoke through its speakers**.**It then unhitched its lyre and strummed it, causing a large shard of ice to shoot out from it and blast the dragon right in the face, causing it to fall down.

"W-what was that?" Hamuko gasped as the puppet disappeared. At the same time, Yukari finally managed to get her gun to her head. "Dia!" Io appeared above Yukari and blasted her with a white light that slowly mended her wounds.

**"YEE!"** the dragon flung a fireball at Hamuko.

"Ah!" Hamuko evaded the attack and made a dive for her naginata.

When Yukari's wounds mended, she immediately turned her attention to Minato. "Dia!" Minato found himself coated in the same white light Yukari was.

"Ugh..." Minato held his hand as he got up. "Someone get the number of that dragon?" As his vision cleared, he saw Hamuko madly dashing for her weapon. _'Hamuko! I gotta help her!'_ his eyes widened. "Orpheus!" Orpheus quickly appeared and smashed its lyre right into the dragon's face.

**"YEE!"** the dragon swung its tail at Minato.

"Oh no you don't, not again!" Hamuko regained her weapon. "Eurydice!" the red-orange puppet appeared once more and struck the dragon with its lyre. The latest attack left the dragon vulnerable.

_'An opening! We can finish it off!'_ Minato spotted. "Everyone, attack together! Orpheus!"

"Io!"

"Eurydice!"

The dragon was struck by a triple attack of fire, wind, and ice. **"Yeeeeeeeeeeeee!" **The dragon stumbled backwards, its body beginning to disintegrate. The mask on its chest fell to the ground, shattering into little pieces. When it crashed into the ground, it dissipated into little black balls of goop.

"D ... did we kill it?" Hamuko gripped her knees, sweat dripping down her face.

"I... I think so," Minato let out a sigh of relief.

"That... was hard," Yukari wiped the sweat off her brow.

"SKREEEEEEEEE!" the three teens turned around to see the dragon dive bombing them, knocking them all to the ground.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hamuko shuddered. "He- he teleported!"

"THE HELL?" Minato paled at the sight of the dragon.

"Impossible!" Yukari found herself quaking in her shoes.

The dragon gently floated in front of the three, his markings blazing bright sky blue. **"YEEEEEE!"** it began gathering white-blue fire in both hands, ready to incinerate the trio.

"Dammit!" Yukari cursed. "Go, Io!" the bull skull fired a blast of wind at the dragon. However, the blast was absorbed directly into the fireball.** "**WHAT?"

"How did it..." Minato found himself stepping backwards.

"Somebody do something!" Hamuko begged. "If that hits us, we're toast! Literally!" She quickly put the gun to her head "Eurydice, please!" the feminine puppet fired another blast of ice at the dragon, but like Yukari's attack, it too was absorbed by the dragon's fireball. "No!"

**"YEEEEEEE!"** the dragon reared back, ready to throw the immense fireball.

"No! Everyone, get down! Come forth Orpheus!" Minato called forth his puppet, ordering it to intercept the attack.

"Minato, NO! If your Persona is destroyed, you'll die!" Yukari shouted, trying to prevent Minato from sacrificing himself.

"To protect my sister, I'll do what I have to," Minato gave her a calm, serene smile, accepting what he had to do. _'I'm sorry, Yukari…'_

"Aniki, no!" Hamuko begged him to stop.

"Take care of Naoko, would you?" Minato asked his sister as Orpheus flew right at the dragon.

**"YEE!"** the dragon threw the giant fireball right at Orpheus. Orpheus and the fireball collided, creating a huge explosion. Minato falls to his knees, clenching his head in pain.

_'THE PAIN!'_ Minato's body felt like exploding.

"Minato!" Yukari fell to her knees, trying to aid him in some way.

"Aniki!" Hamuko rushed over to her brother's side. "Minato, NO!" Suddenly, a low roar permeated the area.

"What the?" Yukari looked up at the smoke-filled sky. As the smoke began to clear to the point where she could see, she saw a half-destroyed Orpheus floating there. "What? How the? Orpheus should be gone!"

"**YEE!**" the dragon flew at Orpheus with its jaws wide open, ready to devour Orpheus once and for all.

Another low roar echoed through the sky as the remains of Orpheus began to convulse.

"What's going on?" Yukari gazed at Orpheus.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Minato's eyes rolled into the back of his head. The remnants of Orpheus exploded, injuring the dragon. Where Orpheus once floated, an eerie black sphere now remained.

"W-What is that?" Hamuko felt goosebumps on her skin. "I feel like I'm sick to my stomach.

**"YEE!"** the dragon nearly fell from sky, but quickly recovered and soared up high. The black sphere began to take a humanoid form, sprouting limbs and a head-like shape.

"UGHHHHHH..." Minato began foaming at the mouth.

"Aniki! Minato! Minato, what's wrong?" Hamuko tried to snap him out of it.

The dragon quickly formed a fireball in its paws and flung it at the black shape, ready to destroy it. A long, silver katana materialized at the end of its right arm and slashed right through the fireball.

"Skra?" the dragon gazed at the black shape, confused as to what happened. However, it quickly shook off its confusion and flew towards the shape, ready to run right through it. The black shadow just stuck out its left arm and grabbed the dragon by the throat, like it was no big deal.

"SKREEE!" the dragon beat its wings wildly in a desperate attempt to break out of the shadow's grasp.

Suddenly, the shadow's arm began to glow an eerie white. The dragon's colors began to fade as the black form became more definite. White gloves, white boots, and a long black trench coat covered its body. A belt with an attached sheath also sprouted.

"What on earth is going on?" Hamuko gazed on.

"Skkaaaaaaaaa…" the dragon seemed to be growing weaker as its thrashing slowed down.

"What the…" Yukari gasped "Is... Is that supposed to be a Persona?"

A white, dinosaur-like skull now adorned the humanoid's head and an ornate cape was draped around its shoulders. The cape itself seemed to be made up of entirely of silver coffins. _"I... am Thanatos... the Harbinger of Death..." _the humanoid spoke. _"Now... be gone..."_ Silver-white light enveloped Thanatos' sword as it threw the weakened dragon high into the air. It then swung its sword, firing a giant white blast at the dragon.

"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" the attack connected with the dragon, causing it to explode in a flash of blue and gold.

"Is… Is it truly dead now?" Yukari asked.

"I don't know, but that thing is coming towards us!" Haumko pointed at Thanatos, who was slowly floating towards them.

Yukari and Hamuko stood in front of a barely conscious Minato, ready to defend him. Thantos merely sheathed its sword, causing the girls to relax a little.

_"I will be watching…"_ Thanatos whispered before it was engulfed in white light.

"Gah!" Yukari and Hamuko were forced to shield their eyes. As the light faded, the girls were able to see that Thanatos had disappeared and in its place, Orpheus had reappeared in its place, the damage it had taken completely gone.

"What the heck? Where did that 'Thanatos' go?" Yukari asked.

Orpheus then faded away as Minato slumped to the ground, completely out cold.

"Minato!" Yukari and Hamuko rushed to his side.

* * *

"Haah!" Minato snapped wide awake, nearly falling over. He found that he was in a chair, and that he was in a familiar room…

"Ah, I see that you've finally awakened…"

Minato looked to see that Igor was on the other side of the table, Elizabeth standing beside him.

"Wait… you guys again? Am I… dead?" Minato asked.

"Heavens no, you're still alive. You are merely asleep in the real world," Igor assured him. "You became unconscious after you were able to slay the dragon."

"The dragon!" Minato instantly recalled what had happened. "Is everyone okay?"

"Do not fret. Your sister and your new friend are perfectly fine," Igor informed him.

"Oh… that's good," Minato relaxed.

"That it is…" Igor nodded. "But do not worry about that anymore; they're both safe now. And once you adapt to you 'power', you'll be able to protect everyone you care about with ease."

"Power? Yeah, would you mind explaining to me what on earth happened regarding those puppets Hamuko and I managed to use?" Minato asked. "And that bull skull thing of Yukari's."

"Ah, yes. That would be a special power known as 'Persona'; it is a manifestation of your psyche," Igor explained.

"Manifestation of my psyche? You mean my personality?" asked Minato.

"Yes and no. A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli…" Igor informed him. "You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships."

Minato took a moment to take this in. _'A facet of my personality… A mask… External stimuli… Does he mean…'_ "Let me get this straight. So these 'puppets' that appeared are known as 'Persona'. 'Personas' are a manifestation of what we show to other people in our day-to-day life. For example, let's say there's an athlete who bullies people on regular basis, yet deep down, he does it to make the stronger and protect them. That athlete's 'Persona' would reflect that," Minato attempted to make sense of what Igor told him.

"You are a quick learner, my dear boy," Igor smiled.

"Ah, good," Minato smirked.

"By the way, I noticed that it was the Persona 'Orpheus' that heeded your call and that it was Eurydice that responded to your twin," said Igor. "Did you know that in the ancient past, Orpheus and Eurydice were lovers? Did you also know that, according to certain folklore, lovers are often reincarnated as twins?"

Minato's eyebrow rose at Igor's comments. "And this has to do with me how?" Minato asked.

"Nothing really. I'm not saying that you and your twin will become lovers. I will note, however, that for two people to have similar looking Personas with the names of famous lovers indicates that the two Persona users must have a very close, tight bond, familial, romantic, or otherwise," Igor clarified his comments.

"Ah, okay," Minato sighed in relief. "Hamuko and I are really close. For the longest time, we've only had each other to rely on while we took care of our youngest sister. Grandfather was often busy with cases, so Hamuko and I had to grow up fast and we ended up becoming more like surrogate parents to Naoko than elder siblings."

"I see. You have my sympathies, young Minato," Igor solemnly nodded.

"Thank you," Minato nodded back. "Anyways, what was with that weird black blob that popped out of Orpheus?"

"Ah, yes. That was the Persona 'Thanatos.' It was able to come to your aid due to the fact that you have a special power known as the 'Wild Card'," Igor leaned forward.

"The Wild Card? What's that?" Minato asked.

"That is another story for another time. But understand that right now, your power of the Wild Card is weak. You must develop that power in order to get stronger, to protect those you care about," Igor answered.

"And how exactly do I do that?"

"When you use your Persona, you must channel your inner strength. This inner strength grows and evolves as you develop your Social Links- your emotional ties with others, both Persona users and non-Persona users alike. The stronger your Social Links, the stronger your ability with Personas will become, please remember that," said Igor.

_ 'Social Links? Does he mean the bonds I form with those who are close to me?'_ thought Minato. "And how will I know if my efforts are strengthening or weakening these 'Links'?" he asked.

"Ah, that you will find out on your own," Igor replied. "Now then… Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer."

"It has? Exactly how long have I've been out back in the real world?" Minato asked with a worried tone.

"I believe that the moon was full when you first summoned your Persona. Since then, the moon's phase has changed to the half-moon," said Igor.

"Half-moon? But then that would mean… I've been out for a week?" Minato shouted.

"You have. But now it's time for you to rejoin the real world. Next time you come here, it will be of your own free will. Until then … Farewell," Igor waved goodbye to Minato.

"Until next time," Elizabeth bowed.

Minato's vision began to cloud and he could feel himself slipping away.

* * *

**In Game Date:** April 17, 2009

The first things that registered in Minato's mind were three things: the feeling of sunlight on his face, a parched throat, and a second prescience in the area. He slowly opened his eyes to find that he was in a hospital room. Sitting next to his bed was Yukari, who had fallen asleep in her chair.

_ 'Wow, she looks cute when she's asleep,'_ thought Minato. _'I'd hate to wake her, but, crap, I'm so thirsty.'_

"Hey," Minato choked out.

Yukari's eyes fluttered open and she saw that Minato was looking right at her. "Oh my gosh! You're awake! I'm so glad," Yukari clutched her chest, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Wa-Water…" Minato coughed.

"Oh! Of course!" Yukari ran over to the sink to fetch Minato a drink. She quickly poured a glass of water and gave it to him. Minato greedily drank the water, the drink easing the pain in his throat. "Do you need some more?" Yukari asked. Minato nodded and Yukari quickly got him another glass. Minato downed that glass as well and breathed deeply.

"Ha… Ha… Testing… Testing…" Minato tested his throat, making sure it was okay now. "Okay, I think that will do for now."

"So, how do you feel?" Yukari asked.

"I feel okay," said Minato. "I did feel dizzy as I woke up, but I'm over that now."

"Thank goodness," Yukari smiled. "You were out for so long." She sighed as her mood suddenly shifted. "Exactly how much sleep do you need?" she fussed at him. "It's been a week! I was worried about you…"

_'She was worried about me? Wow. She's the first person outside the family and the assistants to give a damn about me,'_ Minato was touched. "Um… Gomen?" Minato smiled cheekily.

"Oh, it doesn't matter now; you're awake and that's the important thing," Yukari's facial features softened.

"So, where am I, and where's Hamuko?" Minato asked.

"This is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital; it's a short distance from the station," said Yukari. "As for Hamuko-chan, she's fine. She had to stay here for a night, but she fully recovered and was discharged. It took a lot of convincing from Mitsuru-sempai and Toriumi-sensei and a promise from me to look after you when she couldn't in order for her not to spend every waking moment right here at your bedside."

"That's Hamuko for you. She hates leaving my side, especially if something's happened," Minato chuckled.

"Anyways, the doctor wasn't able to find anything wrong with you," Yukari changed the subject. "All he could determine was that you were exhausted. You just kept on sleeping and sleeping. Do you know how worried I was?" Yukari frowned and turned away, ashamed of her outburst. "Um… Forgive me for not being able to do anything… Even though I was suppose to protect you, you ended up protecting me and then Hamuko-chan ended up protecting us. I'm so sorry, Minato-san…"

Minato sat up and took Yukari's hand and looked her right in the eye. "You have nothing to apologize for, Yukari-san. You did what you could and that's what matters. Hamuko and I have more experience, that's all," Minato smiled.

"Thank you, Minato-san…" Yukari seemed grateful.

"So, what exactly did I do?" Minato asked_. 'Igor may have already told me, but I want to see if Yukari-san can give me any additional info,'_ he reasoned.

"You mean that thing you used to fight off the dragon. That power… we call it 'Persona'. And the dragon you fought … it was an advanced form of something we call 'Shadows'- our enemy," answered Yukari.

"Shadows? So that's what you call them…" Minato nodded his head.

"Oh, that's right. Apparently, you mentioned that you had encountered them beforehand," Yukari remembered. "If I recall, you referred to them as 'Beasts of the Night?'"

"That's right. Hamuko and I have had to deal with them for a long time now," Minato acknowledged.

"Can you tell me about it?" Yukari asked.

_'Should I tell her about it? I probably should, but only when we have everyone gathered,'_ Minato thought. "I'll tell you when we have everyone gathered. I have a feeling the sempai may need to hear my story as well," he said.

"Fair enough. We'll also explain everything at that time," said Yukari. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." Yukari suddenly got nervous and fidgeted in her chair a little. "I… uh, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorta like you and Hamuko-chan," she admitted.

_'Like us? Where is she going with this?'_ Minato was puzzled. "What do you mean, Yukari-san?" he asked.

Yukari turned in her chair to look out the window, as if she were reflecting on something. She then turned back to Minato, looking completely serious. "My father died in an accident when I was little…" she confessed. "And my mother and I aren't exactly on good terms… You and Hamuko-chan are all alone too, right?"

"Well, we had our grandfather and our younger sister, but at times, it got real lonely," Minato sadly smiled.

"To be completely honest, I already know about your past," Yukari admitted.

"Let me guess: Mitsuru-sempai has a file on the Arisatos, Shiroganes, and Kuzunohas, doesn't she?" Minato smirked.

"Yeah," Yukari rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. Besides, it's not private information. So why exactly are you telling me all this?" Minato asked.

"It didn't seem fair that I knew all there was about you two, so I want you to know about mine…" Yukari lowered her head. "It was back in '99. There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my father died in the blast, but no one really knows what happened… He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something."

"I would be honored to help you, Yukari-san," Minato offered. "We can work together to find the answer. You have inside information and I have my grandfather's network of contacts. We'll figure it out."

"That would be nice, Minato-san," Yukari smiled.

"Please, call me Minato-kun," he told her.

"Okay then, Minato-kun, but only if you call me Yukari-chan," she smiled.

"Deal," they shook hands.

"Anyways, that's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you…" Yukari went back to her story. "Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help… It was my first time fighting them. Gomen… You wouldn't have to go though all this if I hadn't been such a coward." Minato took Yukari's hand again and gently squeezed it.

"Yukari-chan, it's not your fault. Besides, I was scared as well," Minato admitted.

"Arigato…" Yukari sighed. "But you were scared as well?"

"Yeah. Hamuko and I may have fought these 'Shadows', as you call them, before, but we never encountered anything like we fought on the roof," Minato admitted.

"Wow. I wouldn't have guessed," Yukari shook her head.

"Don't pin the blame on yourself, Yukari-chan. All of us got out of it alive and that's what matters," Minato assured her.

"Yeah, you're right," Yukari nodded. "Here I am, wallowing in self-pity and telling you all this the minute you wake up and you go and make me feel better. You must be some kind of saint, you know?"

"I've been called many things, Yukari-chan, but 'saint' ain't one of them," Minato laughed. Yukari chucked as well as she gripped her cardigan in her hands.

"You know, Minato-kun, while I was waiting, I thought to myself 'I've been hiding so many things from him. As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth'," Yukari admitted.

_'Yukari was wrapped in guilt over me? Why does that make me feel both happy and sad at the same time?'_ his thoughts echoed.

"So, thanks. Thanks for listening. I've wanted to share that story with someone for a long time," said Yukari.

"You're welcome, Yukari-chan. You've obviously been hurting. Sometimes, letting it out will help the pain," Minato comforted her.

"Thank you, Minato-kun," a tear fell from Yukari's eye. She then looked at her watch and took note of the time. "Anyways, I should get going; I'll let the others know you woke up," Yukari got up from her seat. "Take it easy, okay?" Yukari warned him, heading out the door. "Be a good patient! And don't hesitate to call the nurse; I'm sure she'll take good care of you," she added, standing in the doorway.

As Yukari began to leave the room, Minato felt a pit of emptiness in his chest, like a part of himself was leaving the room with Yukari. It made his heart feel heavy and weak. "Wait!" Minato called after her.

Yukari stopped at the door, confused by Minato's summons. "What is it?" she asked.

"Um…" Minato blushed. _'What am I doing? Why did I call out to her? Did I want her to stay? And if so, why? All I know is that I didn't want her leaving…' _he tried to figure it out. "Um… could you… please stay a while longer?" Minato fought back a stutter.

"You… You want me to stay?" Yukari asked, a bit surprised at Minato's admission.

"Yeah…" Minato blushed some more.

"Well, I guess I could," Yukari considered the offer. "I can just call Mitsuru-sempai and let her know the news; she can pass it on to Hamuko-chan. Besides, I can always take care of my business later."

"Thanks," Minato smiled, relieved she wasn't leaving.

"So, how about I order us some food? This may be a good hospital, but the food sucks. My treat," Yukari offered.

"Sure," Minato agreed. "Can we have some sushi?"

"I don't mind; I was kinda craving some myself," said Yukari as she came back to her chair and sat down. Yukari pulled out her phone and order some sushi for the both of them.

"So, while we wait for the food…" Yukari put her phone away. "What do you want to do?"

"How about we just talk?" Minato suggested.

"That's okay with me," Yukari nodded. "Oh!"

"What is it, Yukari-chan?" Minato asked.

"I had completely forgotten something!" she admitted.

"And that would be?" Minato cocked an eyebrow.

Yukari squirmed a little, a light blush on her face. She then leaned forward and gave Minato a light kiss on the cheek. "Oh!" Minato's eyes widened, his face as red as Mitsuru's hair. Yukari pulled away, her blush equally as intense.

"A token of my gratitude. Thanks… for everything," she smiled.

"Anytime, Yukari-chan," Minato put a hand to the cheek Yukari had kissed.

**SMASH!**

Time had frozen around Minato and everything had taken a darker tone. _'What in heaven's name is going on!'_ Minato was on his guard.

A card suddenly materialized above Yukari. It was a blue card with a white and black mask on it. The card then flipped around to show another image. A tree was in the middle of the picture, its trunk and branches splitting the card into three pieces. To the left of the tree stood a male silhouette against a purple background, and to the right of the tree was a female silhouette against a magenta background. Above the tree's branches and the figures floated a giant heart against a pink background. What appeared to be a sun was floating above the heart, halfway out of the picture. Below the picture was the Roman numeral for six.

_'What the heck? A card?'_ thought Minato.

_**"Thou are I… And I am thou…" **_a voice like Orpheus' echoed around him. _**"Thou hast established a new bond. It brings thee closer to thy destiny. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Lovers Arcana…" **_The card exploded into blue light and dissipated over Minato and Yukari. A surge of strength flowed through him, like he just got an adrenaline rush.

_'Wow, this feels good,'_ thought Minato. Then something clicked in his head. _'Wait a second. Is this what Igor was talking about?'_ Minato recalled.

**'When you use your Persona, you must channel your inner strength. This inner strength grows and evolves as you develop your Social Links- your emotional ties with others, both Persona users and non-Persona users alike. The stronger your Social Links, the stronger your ability with Personas will become, please remember that,'** Igor's words echoed in Minato's head. _'Did I just establish a Social Link?'_ he realized.

Color returned to the room and time flowed once more.

"Um… did you like it?" Yukari blushed.

"I… I did. I… thank you," Minato wryly smiled.

"Anyways… why don't we talk some more?" Yukari changed the subject. "Why don't you tell me about this younger sister of yours?"

"Oh, boy, now that is a story," Minato chuckled as he told Yukari about Arisato Naoko.

* * *

That was fun, no? Anyways, I've been asked by SamJaz himself to make an announcement for him. He will be disappearing for awhile. If you want to know why, he says to go here: http:/ www (dot) animevice (dot) com/profile/samjaz/later/107-6706/

Tune in for more fun soon!


	5. SEES

Hello, everyone! Welcome to a new year! Sorry I haven't updated in so long (unless you follow me with Author Alert, in which case you saw my one-shot 'The Dragon Valley'), but it's been so hectic on my YouTube Channel and in real life. But now that things have slowed down, I can resume updates. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

_**In Game Date: **_April 18, 2009

_**Chapter 5:**_ **SEES**

The next morning, Minato was cleared to return to school. Hamuko had shown up with his clothes and gear. With Hamuko's help, he was able to make it to school. At the gates, they ran into Yukari. "Mornin'. You seem to be doing pretty well, Minato-kun," Yukari greeted them.

"I'm doing okay, more or less," said Minato. "It's kinda difficult to walk because I've been in a bed for a week. However, I've been able to manage with Hamuko's help."

"And by 'help', you mean lug your ass on my back from Iwatodai to here," Hamuko glared at her brother.

"I'm not that heavy, am I?" Minato teased.

"Please. Pigs are lighter that you," Hamuko chastised him.

"Oh! That hurts deep down, Hamuko," Minato held his hand over his heart, feigning heartbreak.

"Well, it seems you two are doing just find now," Yukari smiled. "Anyways, I'm sorry to add this to everything else you've been dealing with, but… Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today. Go to the fourth floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don't forget," she informed them before quickly walking off.

"So we're finally gonna get some answers?" Hamuko asked.

"Yeah, seems so," Minato nodded. "Well, let's get through today and then we'll get our answers. By the way, does this place have an elevator?"

"Nope, don't think so," Hamuko smiled.

"Aw, crap," Minato moaned. "This will KILL my legs!"

"Well, good with that! I'm gonna go meet up with Junpei-kun!" Hamuko waved as she ran off.

"Hamuko, don't leave me here! My poor legs won't withstand the journey!" Minato cried out in vain.

* * *

After a long day at school that including being looked over and chastised by Toriumi, Minato was able to make it back to his dorm with Junpei's assistance. "Thanks for helping me back here. I was abandoned by Hamuko and Yukari-chan!" Minato groaned as Junpei helped him through the door.

"Eh, it's the least I can do after you helped me with Ono-sensei's question today," Junpei replied. "Anyways, why exactly were you in the hospital for a week?"

"Some idiots tried to cop a feel on Hamuko. We tried to tell them off, but they attacked. We fought, and one of them got me in the back of the head and knocked me out. Fortunately, the sempai saved Hamuko and me before something bad happened," Minato quickly came up with a story.

"Bastards," Junpei spat. "I'm glad they didn't do anything horrible."

"Yeah, me too," Minato sighed.

"Anyways, you gonna be fine from here or do you need more help?" Junpei asked.

"I think I'll be fine from here, Junpei," Minato answered. "My legs are feeling stronger now. I should be able to manage on my own."

"Well, okay then," Junpei nodded. "If you need anything, let me know, k?"

"I'll be sure to. I owe you one," said Minato.

"I'll hold you to that," Junpei chuckled as he walked out the door.

"Now to get up those stairs. Why, oh why did they need to hold a meeting on the fourth floor? This is NOT going to be pleasant," Minato complained to himself. With some difficulty, Minato began climbing the stairs, using the railing to help himself up. He managed to make it up to the third floor before his legs began to buckle. _'Oh, man. I don't think I can make the last flight,' _he sighed.

"Oh, Minato-kun! There you are!" someone called out. Minato saw Yukari coming down the stairs, a look a relief on your face.

"I've been looking for you! Where were you?" she asked.

"Struggling to get back. My legs are still weak. And if it weren't for Junpei, I'd still be on Port Island," said Minato.

"Oh my gosh! Minato-kun, I didn't know! Hamuko-chan said you'd be fine on your own! Had I known, I'd have been there to help you," Yukari apologized.

_'Hamuko… I should've known…'_ Minato grimaced.

"Are you okay, Minato-kun?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah. I just should've known that Hamuko would do something like that. This is probably payback for that time I told Naoko that a member of the staff had hid contraband in Hamuko's room and the place got torn apart in a search," he smirked as he shook his head.

"I take it you two play lots of jokes on each other?" Yukari asked.

"Oh, we do. Once, we had this weeklong competition. The end of the competition is something we don't talk about," Minato bitterly chuckled.

"…I shouldn't know what happened, should I?" Yukari raised an eyebrow.

"No, you shouldn't," he warned her.

"Anyways, everyone is waiting for you upstairs," Yukari remembered. "You need some help getting upstairs?"

"Yeah. My legs have gotten stronger, but they're not quite back to normal yet. The doctor said they would be fine in a day or two," said Minato. Yukari took one of Minato's arms and threw it over her shoulder to help him upstairs. Once at the fourth floor, the two of them walked through the double doors to find that Ikutsuki, Mitsuru, Hamuko, and the guy Mitsuru had talked to awhile back were all there waiting for them.

"Ah, there you two are. I'm glad you're okay," Ikutsuki greeted them.

"Doing okay, except for the fact that I was forced to hoof it back alone in my weakened state and I would've too if not for Junpei's help. Thanks a bunch, Hamuko," Minato sarcastically replied.

"Oh, aniki, if I honestly thought you needed help, I'd have helped you. Besides, you're a man. Men need challenges to grow stronger," Hamuko teased.

"She's right, you know. By overcoming your limits, you can accomplish anything," Mitsuru's acquaintance added.

"Oh, both of you put a sock in it," Minato waved them off, causing everyone to chuckle.

"Anyways, the reason I have asked you here is because I needed to talk to both you and your twin. Please, have a seat," Ikutsuki offered. Minato and Yukari sat down on the large couch next to Ikutsuki's armchair, with Yukari sitting next to Mitsuru and Minato next to Yukari. Akihiko and Hamuko were sitting on stools opposite that of the couch. In the middle of the seating arrangement was a table with a large metal briefcase on it. "Oh, before we begin. I believe I mentioned him earlier, but this is Akihiko," Ikutsuki introduced the other male in the room.

"How ya doin'?" the man known as Akihiko greeted him.

"Better than I was yesterday. Can't wait to get back to full strength," Minato rubbed his legs.

"That's good," Akihiko smiled.

"Okay then, let me start this off by asking you a simple question: Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?" Ikutsuki began.

"Actually, I would," Minato replied.

"Same here," Hamuko added.

"Really now? And why would you think that?" Mitsuru asked.

"Simple. For the last decade, Hamuko and I have been living 25-hour days," said Minato.

"You've been experiencing the Dark Hour for a decade?" Mitsuru gasped.

"The 'Dark Hour'? So, that's what you call it…" Minato commented, a stern look on his face.

"Um… perhaps before we go any further, let's have one side tell their story, then the other side can go," Yukari suggested.

"Brilliant idea, Yukari," said Ikutsuki. "Mitsuru, how about we tell our story first, then we'll have the Arisatos talk, okay?"

"Very well," Mitsuru nodded.

"Fine with me," Minato agreed. _'Now I'll finally get some answers.'_

"Do you remember the night you came here? You definitely noticed the signs…" Mitsuru began. "The streetlights were out, nothing was working, there were coffins everywhere, and the moon glowed an eerie green. Didn't it feel like you were in a different time?"

"Actually, it feels like I was no longer on Earth," Minato commented.

"Personally, I thought of it as the Earth going to sleep," Hamuko added. Mitsuru nodded, agreeing with their opinions.

"That, Arisatos, is the Dark Hour- a time period hidden between one day and the next," she said.

"Why call it hidden?" Hamuko asked.

"I guess it's more like something normal people aren't aware of," Ikutsuki replied. "But the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night, at midnight. It happened before, it'll happen tonight, and it'll occur every night to come."

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins," Akihiko chimed in. "But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting." Akihiko leaned forward, a huge grin on his face. "You saw those creatures; we call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the Dark Hour and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. Sounds exciting, huh?"

_'Does this guy live on the thrill of battle or something?' _Minato observed.

"Akihiko! Why are you always like that?" Mitsuru fussed at him. "You just got hurt the other day!"

"Now, now Mitsuru. He does his work well," Ikutsuki intervened. "Now then, Minato-kun and Hamuko-chan. Long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad- SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club; in reality, though, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader while I'm the club advisor."

_'Ah, okay, makes sense now…'_ Minato nodded.

"A Shadow feeds off the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news here in Iwatodai and on Port Island, if not all of them," Mitsuru explained.

"So the Shadows are responsible for the Apathy Syndrome?" Hamuko asked.

"Correct," Mitsuru confirmed the answer.

_'Makes sense. And now for something that's been bugging me.'_ "And why are a bunch of high-schoolers dealing with all this? Isn't this a job for the police or the military?" Minato asked.

"Unfortunately, the police or military can't do anything during the Dark Hour…" Mitsuru answered.

"How come? The sempai, Yukari-chan, aniki, and I are able to experience this 'Dark Hour', and we've seen other people around in the past; why not anyone else?" Hamuko asked, confused.

"That is because the number of people who can function during the Dark Hour is miniscule at best. I'd say one out of a million," Ikutsuki explained. "Although that number is small, those people are able to function in the Dark Hour however they please. Not enough people are active during the Dark Hour in the right places to mount a full assault and the Dark Hour itself is hard to prove unless you experience first-hand or if someone inflicted with Apathy Syndrome can talk to us. However, a very small portion of those people awake in the Dark Hour may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That's 'Persona'- the power you two used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users."

"That's not necessarily true," Minato interrupted. "Hamuko and I have destroyed a few of those things before without those 'Persona' things."

"Really?" Ikutsuki was intrigued.

"True. We've had to fight them before and we've always managed to come out on top," Hamuko confirmed Minato's claim.

"Well, I suppose I was exaggerating just a little. While it IS possible to defeat a Shadow without a Persona, it would be a monumental task; possessing the power of a Persona would level the playing field," said Ikutsuki.

"Anyways, I suppose this is the point where you now tell us your story, Arisato," Mitsuru cut in.

"I've been interested in learning your story too, Minato-kun," Yukari added.

"Okay then. Well, I suppose our story begins a decade ago, in 1999," Minato began. "My parents, Arisato Jouhei and Shirogane-Arisato Nagi, had gone to Port Island to meet with a client. The family had actually gone to Port Island for the weekend due to a class reunion at Gekkoukan, which is why Hamuko, my younger sister Naoko, and myself were there as well: to meet our parents' high school buddies. Earlier in the day, little Naoko had gotten sick, so our grandfather, Shirogane Satoshi, picked her up and took her home, leaving just the four of us at Port Island."

"Ah, yes. Shirogane-san is quite the detective, I hear. And I also heard that his daughter and son-in-law were just as skilled," Ikusuki nodded.

"Thank you; they were," Minato smiled. "Anyways, during the trip, my parents met up with a client while we were left with a close friend. I don't know what it was about or why they met, but when they got back, they looked spooked and said that we had to return home immediately, despite it being already nightfall. So, the four of us piled into the car, setting off for home. However, on the Moonlight Bridge, something happened." Minato frowned.

"What happened?" Mitsuru asked.

"The lights on the bridge went out, all the cars stopped, including ours, the moon turned a sickly green, and people in the cars around us were in coffins," said Minato. "My parents seemed uneasy, yet not surprised. They ordered us not to get out of the car as they got out. Not five seconds later, an explosion occurred, sending the car flying into the bridge's support cables." Many a gasp could be heard. "The impact caused me to black out. I don't really recall anything after that, but Hamuko does," he finished.

"I do, aniki. Anyways, after the car had impacted, I managed to free Minato and myself. As I drug him out of the car, I saw our parents confronting this looming thing that looked like the Grim Reaper, except he had a huge-ass katana instead of a scythe," she detailed. "The next thing I remember, this second Grim Repaer appears out of nowhere and swallows our parents whole. That was the last time I saw them."

More gasps could be heard in the room. "Your parents… were swallowed whole?" a shocked Yukari asked.

"Yeah, Yukari-chan. There was nothing left; no bodies, no nothing," Hamuko whimpered.

"I'm so sorry," Yukari sighed.

"You have my sympathies," Mitsuru sadly smiled.

"That must've been traumatizing, seeing your parents die like that," Akihiko frowned.

"It was," Hamuko fought back tears. "After our parents were devoured, the two Repaers stared each other down, the first one pointing its katana at the second one and the second one drawing out these giant guns. They looked like they were going to fight when all of a sudden, gunshots rang out."

"This weird lady appears out of nowhere and says that she'll destroy them both. The gun wielding one that had eaten our parents vanished into some kind of portal but the katana-wielding one stood its ground and the two fought. The lady and the Reaper struggled for victory. What really puzzled me was that the lady apparently fired blasts from her fingertips; she also used this weird ghost thing she used. 'Palla-something' I think she called it. Those Personas aniki and I used remind me of it."

"A Persona! This girl had a Persona!" Mitsuru was shocked.

"Maybe, I dunno. It's been ten years and I was only a kid then; I'm surprised I remember as much as I do," Hamuko replied.

"I see…" Mitsuru whispered, deep in thought.

"What did this weird lady look like?" Ikutsuki asked.

Hamuko closed her eyes for a moment, mentally recalling the image of the girl that saved her and Minato. "I don't recall much, but I think she had short hair. I think she also had a ribbon around her neck and this weird headband on her head. Don't recall anything else."

"I see," said Ikutsuki. "I'll see if I can find out anything about her."

"So, what happened? Did the girl drive off the Reaper?" Yukari asked.

"No matter what happened, she couldn't kill the Reaper," Hamuko continued. "Even after dealing what appeared to be lethal blows, it just kept going. The girl herself was badly injured. After some more fighting, the girl finally managed to get the jump on the Reaper and knocked it down hard. I then remember her looking in my direction. She brought out her ghost-thingy again and the Reaper dissolved into blue light."

"Afterwards, we ended up in a hospital and then we were taken in by Grandfather and our godmother," Minato continued the story. "They raised us the best they could from that point, but Hamuko and I were forced to grow up fast, especially to take care of our sister. Our grandfather would constantly train all three of in the ways of the detective, even though we have the option to do whatever we want. We'd be trained in how to find clues, interrogation, and even how to fight. That last one would especially come in hand when dealing with the 'Shadows'."

"You've fought the Shadows before?" Akihiko asked.

"We have. Over the years, Hamuko and I would be constantly thrust every night into what we called 'Green Midnight', because everything would take on eerie shades of green; you know 'Green Midnight' as the 'Dark Hour'," Minato explained.

"Over the years, we would be randomly attacked by black blobs with weird masks. Sometimes they'd take different shapes, like animals or inanimate objects," Hamuko detailed. "We called them the 'Beasts of the Night'. We were lucky in that no one was ever seriously hurt in our area."

"I gotta say, taking on Shadows without a Persona's power… That's majorly badass." Akihiko grinned.

"And foolhardy," Mitsuru added her two cents.

"Thanks, Akihiko-sempai," Hamuko chuckled.

"For the longest time, only myself, Hamuko, and our grandfather were the only ones we knew that were active during Green Midnight on a regular basis. Personally, I thought only our family was able move around during its duration," Minato commented. "Imagine our surprise when we find all of you active as well."

"I would imagine that to be quite a shock, especially with the stunt Takeba nearly pulled," Mitsuru glared at Yukari.

"Hey! I thought they might've been Shadows or something!" Yukari defended her actions.

"Don't worry about it, Mitsuru-sempai. No one got hurt. Spooked, maybe, but not hurt," said Minato. "Anyways, that's pretty much our story."

"Arisato, I must say, you and your sister must be quite brave, dealing with the Dark Hour for a decade. Akihiko and I have only dealt with it for a couple of years and Takeba only a few weeks," said Mitsuru.

"And what about you, Ikuzi-san?" Minato asked. "How long have you dealt with the Dark Hour?"

"Ikutsuki, Minato-kun," he corrected Minato. "As for me, I first became aware of the Dark Hour shortly before Mitsuru. Although, I think I may have been experiencing the Dark Hour longer than that, as would probably be the case will all of you. However, I am unable to use a Persona."

"How come?" Minato asked.

"I'm not really sure myself, but I rationalize in this way: All Persona-users are active during the Dark Hour, but not all those active during the Dark Hour are Persona-users," said Ikutsuki.

"I get it," Minato nodded.

"Anyways, it is up to you guys to stop the Shadow from inflicting any further damage and hopefully putting a stop to them and the Apathy Syndrome once and for all," Ikutsuki announced.

"What he's trying to say is that he wants both of you to join us," Mitsuru interrupted him. She got up and opened the metal suitcase that had been sitting on the table the whole time. Inside the briefcase were two metal guns.

_'Th__ey're guns…'_ He looked over at Hamuko, who had visibly paled and began sweating. _'Oh, no. This isn't good.'_

"We've prepared Evokers for the both of you. We'd like you to lend us your strength," said Mitsuru.

"Can you give Hamuko and me a moment to talk it over, Mitsuru-sempai?" Minato asked, sensing that Hamuko needed to talk to him.

"Of course," Mitsuru nodded.

Minato got up, took Hamuko's hand, and led her outside the conference room. "You okay?" Minato asked once they were out of the room.

"I… I'm fine," Hamuko slightly smiled.

"You sure? Between remembering the events of that day, and then seeing those guns right in front of you… I imagine that's a lot to take in," Minato put a hand on Hamuko's shoulder.

"I was rattled, I admit, but I'll live," she assured him.

"Well, okay then," Minato smiled. "So, do you want to join this 'SEES'?"

"What do you think, aniki?"

"Me? Well, personally, I'd like to help. We've been dealing with the Beasts of the Night… I mean Shadows for ages. It'd be nice to finally issue some payback," Minato smirked. "Besides, I know our parents would do it in a heartbeat."

"I know what you meant. I want to help too, but…" Hamuko turned her head and sighed.

"The gun thing? Yeah, if you join, you'll have to constantly be around it and dealing with it," he frowned. "And I know you don't like them."

"I mean, I was able use the Evoker before, but that was out of necessity. However, I'm not sure if I can constantly use it," said Hamuko.

_'That could be a problem. How to go about this…'_ he thought.

"What should I do, aniki?" she asked.

_'Hmm… Oh!'_ an idea came to mind. "Hamuko, I'll be with you every step of the way, so don't worry. Also, I'll see if I can get you an Evoker that is not a gun. If not, I promise that I'll constantly be with you whenever you use one to help calm your nerves," Minato promised. Hamuko smiled as she gave Minato a great bear hung.

"Thank you, aniki. I can always count on you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," Minato hugged her back. "You ready to give them our answer?"

"Hai. Let's go," she nodded.

The two of the walked back inside to find an eager Akihiko, Yukari, Mitsuru, and Ikutsuki awaiting them. "Have you two made a decision?" Ikutsuki asked.

"You guys didn't really tell us anything Hamuko and I already knew or figured, except for actual names for Green Midnight and the Beasts of the Night. However, we do have an answer. But before that, do these Evokers have to be guns?" Minato asked.

"Well, not really, but that's the model we settled on," said Mitsuru.

"Is it possible for Hamuko to get an Evoker that's not a gun?" he requested. "She has a slight case of hoplophobia."

"Fear of guns?" Mitsuru quirked an eyebrow. "Well, that would be a problem."

"Well, that explains why she was so hesitant to use the Evoker on the roof and why she freaked out when I first met her," Yukari recalled.

"Are you sure she can't use an Evoker?" Akihiko asked.

"Well, I…" Hamuko looked away, ashamed.

"How about this? We let Hamuko use the Evoker you've gotten her already for now. If she is unable to deal with it, we get her a different kind of Evoker," Minato offered.

"And what of her hoplophobia?" Mitsuru asked.

"As long as I'm with her, she should be fine until she either desensitizes to it or you get her a different Evoker, whichever occurs first," replied Minato.

"So, I take it that means both of you are joining us?" asked Mitsuru.

"Yeah, I'll be joining you," Minato answered.

"Despite my phobia, I'll help as well," Hamuko gave a small smile.

"I was afraid you'd say no…" Yukari let out a sigh of relief. "Welcome aboard!"

"Thanks, Yukari-chan," Hamuko smiled.

"I promise to do whatever I can to help," added Minato.

"Welcome to S.E.E.S., you two. May we vanquish many Shadows," said Akihiko.

"Thank you so much; I'm really glad," Ikutsuki softly smiled. "Oh, I almost forgot! About your room assignment… Why don't you just stay here, in your current rooms? I don't know what the holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end."

Ikutsuki let out a small chuckle as a look of confusion etched itself on Yukari's face. "Holdup? But wasn't that… Oh, never mind. It doesn't matter anymore," she said.

_'Oh? Apparently I was right; we were purposely put in here to see if were able to join. Eh, doesn't matter now,'_ thought Minato.

**SMASH! **

Time froze and everyone took on darker hues._ 'It's happening again? I formed another Social Link?' _Like before, a card appeared, but this time it appeared in the center of the room, showing its back to Minato. It flipped around to reveal a picture different that the one the other card had. This picture was that of a man holding a stick, a bag tied to one end of it. A dog was following behind him. Below the picture was the number zero.

_**"Thou are I… And I am thou… Thou hast established a new bond. It brings thee closer to thy destiny. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana…"**_

The card exploded into blue light and dissipated over the group, except for Ikutsuki. _'Huh? I'm guessing this Link is for the entire group, but then, why wasn't the Chairman bathed in the card's light as well? Eh, whatever,'_ he thought as he felt the familiar rush and time resumed.

* * *

After spending a little time getting to know the members of SEES, Minato headed off to bed, eager for a full night's sleep. However, that wouldn't be happening tonight…"Hi, how are you?" Minato opened his sleep-crusted eyes, sat up, and saw that all was illuminated in green, signaling that is was the Dark Hour.

"Ugh… Who's there?" Minato asked as he rubbed his eyes. A low chuckle echoed in the room. As Minato began waking up, he saw that someone was sitting on the bed, the mysterious boy from the first night at the dorm and up on the roof that night he first used an Evoker. "You!" Minato gasped.

"Hi there!" the boy waved at Minato.

"Who are you?" Minato got right to the point.

"We've met before," the kid smiled.

"Of course we met before, I know that. What I want to know is WHO you are," Minato glared at the kid.

"To be honest, I don't really know," the kid shrugged.

_'Oh, great. He's one of those people who give vague answers.'_

"Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you," the boy suddenly said.

"What? What do you mean by 'the end'?" Minato asked.

"The end… of everything…" the boy whispered.

"What! The end of everything? Like the Rapture? Armageddon? Ragnarok?" a concerned Minato asked.

"…To be honest, I don't really know what it is," the boy replied, causing Minato to smack himself in the forehead.

_'This boy is just speaking in tongues,'_ he groaned.

"Oh, looks like you've awakened to you power, and an unusual power it is," the boy smirked.

"Power? You mean my Persona?" asked Minato.

"Hai. But your power is different. It's a power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none… It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up," the boy explained.

_'A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none? Is that the 'Wild Card' that Long Nose-san mentioned?'_ he rationalized. The boy suddenly disappeared and then reappeared at the foot of Minato's bed. _'What the! He can teleport!'_

"Do you remember when we first met?" the boy asked.

"I do. You had me sign a contract stating that I take full responsibility for my actions," Minato replied.

"Good. I expect you to honor your commitment," said the boy. "I'll be watching you, even if you forger about me… Okay then, see you later…" And he vanished without a trace.

"Oh, mother of pearl… Now I have a stalker… But who is he and what did he mean by the 'end of everything' and 'a power that takes many forms'?" Minato asked himself. "Ugh, this just keeps getting better and better." With that, Minato went back to sleep, hoping that the promise of tomorrow held new answers.


	6. Tower of Demise

I apologize for the wait, but let's continue with Dual Journey! Enjoy!

_**In Game Date: April 19, 2009**_

_**Chapter 6:**__ The Tower of Demise

* * *

_

The next day, Minato woke up and tested his legs to see if they're any better than they were yesterday. _'Still a little sore, but I think I can manage today,'_ he thought. _'Since today's Sunday, I have the day off. I wonder what I should do…'_ Minato walked over to his desk and opened a drawer, pulling out the Velvet Key that he owned. _'I could try to find whatever door this belongs to, but that would probably be fruitless…' _He then glanced at the laptop on his desk. _'And the Internet is down, according to Yukari… Dang. Well, there is something I want to learn, but I can't do it here. Guess I'm going to the library then.'_ Minato quickly got ready and headed downstairs, where he found Mitsuru and Haumko eating breakfast.

"Morning Hamuko. Morning Mitsuru-senpai," he greeted them.

"Hi, aniki!" said Hamuko.

"Good morning, Arisato. Are your legs feeling better?" Mitsuru asked.

"They feel a lot better than yesterday, but they're still kinda sore," said Minato. "Say, senpai, is the school library open today?"

"No it isn't, Arisato. When the school is closed, like it is today, all of its facilities are closed as well," Mitsuru replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I wanted to research something, but the Internet here is down. And if the school library is closed as well, that option's out. Do you know if there's a public library around here?"

"A public library? Well… no, Arisato, there isn't one. I apologize," Mitsuru apologized. "However, if you are interested in doing research, take your laptop to the Chagal Café at Paulownia Mall; they have free Wi-Fi, so you should be able to do your research there. Also, I heard their tea and coffee is c'est magnifique!"

_'French? That's quite surprising.' _"Parlez-vous du français?" Minato asked.

"Oui," Mitsuru nodded. "You do too?"

"Oui, senpai," Minato replied. "Grandfather taught us the basics of a few languages."

"Impressive, Arisato," Mitsuru couldn't help but smile.

"So, aniki, what exactly do you want to research?" Hamuko asked.

"Something I heard off-hand at school yesterday," said Minato. "Would either of you like to come with me?"

"I apologize, Arisato, but I already made plans with Akihiko today; we're getting a room ready for a new student," replied Mitsuru.

"A new student? Is he or she joining S.E.E.S.?" Minato wanted to know.

"Yes, he is joining S.E.E.S. You will meet him tonight," said Mitsuru.

"Ah, okay," Minato nodded. "What about you, Hamuko?"

"I have no plans today. I'll tag along," said Hamuko.

"Cool. What about Yukari-chan? I don't mind if she comes as well," Minato inquired.

"Takeba has already left for the day, Arisato," said Mitsuru.

"Oh, okay," Minato sighed. _'Aw… I has hoping to spend a little time with her.'_ "So, are you ready to go then, Hamuko?"

"Let me finish breakfast and we'll head out," Hamuko was finishing up her food.

"Might as well help myself then," Minato sat down and helped himself to the food left on the table.

* * *

After finishing their breakfast, the Arisatos bid farewell to Mitsuru and left for the train station. There, they boarded a train for Port Island. Once at Port Island, they used the map that had been used to locate the S.E.E.S. dorm to find Paulownia Mall. After a short time, they managed to find the mall, which was not that far from Gekkoukan.

"Heh, who would've guessed they had a mall near the school?" Hamuko remarked as they entered the mall.

"I know. I wasn't aware the mall was that close to the school when we came here as kids," said Minato.

"Yeah. Too bad that we couldn't see the school with our parents," Hamuko sighed.

"I know," Minato frowned. "Anyways, wanna take a quick look around before heading to the café?"

"Sure, aniki," said Hamuko. "I hope they have a nice shoe store here!"

_'Heaven help me if there is,'_ he facepalmed.

* * *

After a brief exploration of the mall, Minato found himself sitting on a bench. He was waiting for Hamuko, who had managed to find a shoe store in Paulownia. _'Heavens, why did we have to find a shoe store?'_ he groaned. Minato sighed as he looked at a map of the mall he managed to pick up. Other than the usual stores, there were a few things that caught his eye. _'Besides stores, there's a nightclub, police station, karaoke, an antique shop, a café, an arcade, a pharmacy, a jewelry shop, and more? This place apparently has it all,'_ he observed.

As he waited for Hamuko to come out of the store, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see that Yukari was at the mall, wandering aimlessly. _'Whoo! Finally! Now I won't be bored!'_ he inwardly cheered.

"Yukari-chan!" Minato called out. Yukari was snapped out of her gaze to see that Minato was waving her down.

"Minato-kun?" she gasped, surprised to see him there.

"Hiya, Yukari-chan!" Minato greeted her as she came over.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she sat down next to Minato.

"Well, I came here to go to Chagal Café to get some research done, since the dorm's Wi-Fi is down. Hamuko tagged along with me and she spotted a shoe store. I've been waiting out here since. And it's been over an hour," Minato lamented.

"Hehehe," Yukari laughed. "I feel bad for you."

"So, what are you doing here?" Minato asked.

"Well, to be honest, I was suppose to be on a date," Yukari admitted.

"A date?" Minato asked, his interest piqued.

"Yeah. Someone from third year asked me out last week and we were to have a date here today, but the idiot stood me up. Never even got a call or a text," Yukari explained.

"Any guy who stands someone up is a douche," said Minato.

"I agree. He has no idea what he's missing out on," Yukari smiled. "So, what exactly are you going to research?"

_'Well, I had intended to learn about these 'Social Links'. Fool and Lovers… Why were they called 'Arcana'? Also, that comment Igor mentioned about Orpheus and Eurydice… I want to know what he meant,'_ thought Minato. "I wanted to learn more about our Persona," he said.

"Our Persona? You could've just asked the senpai about that," Yukari replied.

"Not exactly. My Persona… 'Orpheus'… I know I've heard that name somewhere before. I wanted to learn more about that," Minato clarified his answer.

"Oh. I've never really thought about it that way. I suppose that would be interesting," Yukari nodded.

"Yeah. There's probably a reason why I have Orpheus and why that Thanatos thing popped out of it," said Minato.

"Thanatos? Yeah, that was kinda weird," Yukari shrugged, a bit confused.

"Aniki! Yukari-chan!" Minato and Yukari saw that Hamuko had just came out of the store holding two big bags. "What's up? I hope I didn't keep you waiting," said Hamuko.

"Oh, no you didn't. I was having a ball until Yukari-chan showed up," Minato replied, sarcasm dripping off of every word.

"Aw… you're such a good aniki," Hamuko giggled. "And Yukari-chan, I didn't expect to see you here!"

"I know, same here. I was supposed to be on a date, but I was stood up," Yukari huffed.

"Oh, I hate it when a boy does that! Men are just stupid! Half the time, they're interested in us just to get into our pants! And most of the other half only sticks around as long as the relationship is 'fresh'," Hamuko ranted, wagging her finger the whole time.

"Um… Hamuko, I'm a man," Minato meekly interrupted.

"Oh!" Hamuko blushed. "Sorry. Well… MOST men are like that."

"Thanks, Hamuko-chan. That makes me feel a little better," Yukari chuckled. "Anyways, weren't you and Minato-kun supposed to do some research?"

"That's right!" Hamuko gasped. "I totally forgot! It's just that there were a lot of awesome shoes…"

"Oh, don't worry about it, Hamuko. How about we go to the café now?" Minato suggested. "Not only can I get my research done, I can get a bite to eat as well. You're welcome to join us as well, Yukari-chan."

"Hm… Sure, why not?" Yukari agreed.

"Excellent. Then let's get going," Minato got up and began the trek to the café, Hamuko and Yukari following right behind him.

* * *

As Hamuko and Yukari were drinking tea and eating sandwiches, Minato was on his laptop, surfing the Internet, a half-eaten sandwich in hand. "Any luck yet, aniki?" Hamuko took a sip of her drink.

"Well, I did find a rather comprehensive history on Orpheus," said Minato.

"Oh? Do tell," Yukari was intrigued.

"Well, it's a long story, so I'll just hit the main points. Apparently, Orpheus was a rather famous Greek poet and musician back in ancient times," Minato read off the screen.

"That would explain why he had that giant harp on his back," Hamuko mused.

"Actually, Orpheus' instrument of choice is a lyre," Minato corrected her. "His music was apparently so serene, it could soothe even the most savage of beasts."

"Wouldn't it be sweet if we met a man who was that good with music?" Hamuko asked.

"Yeah. A man capable of sweeping you off your feet with song… How romantic…" Yukari sighed.

"Anyways…" Minato rolled his eyes. "Orpheus was also one of Jason's Argonauts."

"I remember leaning about the Argonauts last year," Yukari recalled. "Their leader, Jason, set out to find the Golden Fleece so that he could reclaim his throne."

"Correct, Yukari-chan," Minato nodded. "It also says that Orpheus had a wife; her name was Eurydice."

"Oh!" Hamuko gasped. "That's the name of my Persona!"

"Your Personas are modeled after a pair of ancient lovers? And not to mention you guys are twins as well…" Yukari's face took on a serious expression.

Minato instantly recognized Yukari's train of thought. _'Oh crap! Don't tell me she's thinking what I think she's thinking!'_

"Yukari-chan?" Hamuko tried to get her attention.

"Have you heard of the myth that soul mates are reincarnated as twins? You two are twins and your Personas possess the names of ancient lovers. You gotta admit, that does raise a few questions," Yukari explained.

_'She said it. She just had to say it. First Igor and now Yukari-chan. Is this going to constantly happen?'_ Minato shook his head in disgust.

"Wait… Are you saying that… Aniki and I…" Hamuko blanched. "OH HELL NO!" she stood up and slammed her fists hard on the table, attracting the attention of the entire café. "Minato and I are NOT lovers! That's just nasty!"

_'If there's any justice in this world, please let me be whisked away by the angels now,'_ Minato silently prayed.

"Um… sorry, Hamuko-chan…" Yukari apologized, her face lit red with embarrassment.

"Apology accepted," huffed Hamuko.

"Psst… Hamuko, sit down!" Minato harshly whispered. "People are staring at us!"

"Huh?" Hamuko took a look around to see that everyone was indeed looking in their direction with varying degrees of confusion on their faces. "Oh! Uh… nothing to see here, people! Move along now!" And she slowly sunk back into her seat, blushing just as much as Yukari, leaving an awkward silence in the cafe.

"So… um…" Minato tried to end the silence after a couple of minutes. "Anyways… Eurydice was Orpheus' wife and the daughter of Apollo, Greek god of the sun. One day, a snake bit her on the heel and she died. Orpheus ventured into the Underworld to reclaim her. By using his music, he was able to persuade the rulers of the Underworld, Hades and Persephone, to let him take her back to the realm of the living on the condition that he walk in front of her and not look back until both were back in realm of the living. However, Orpheus was impatient and once he was back in the living realm, he looked back, forgetting that both of them had to be in the living realm. He only glimpsed upon her for a second before Hermes, the messenger of the gods, whisked her away, never to be seen again. Orpheus would eventually meet his end by being torn into pieces by the female followers of Dionysus, the god of wine; the only things left from the carnage were Orpheus' head and his lyre. Well, that'd explain the organic head and mechanical body…"

"That's so sad!" Hamuko was crying into a napkin.

"Wow, poor guy. I certainly help the same thing doesn't happen to you, Minato-kun. And I certainly wouldn't want Hamuko-chan to suffer like Eurydice did," Yukari expressed her worry.

"We'll be fine, Yukari-chan, don't worry," said Hamuko.

"Yeah. It'll take more than a mob of girls to take me down," Minato smirked.

"Okay," Yukari nodded.

"So, Yukari-chan, what's the name of your Persona?" Minato asked. "I wonder what kind of history it might have."

"Well…" Yukari turned away, blushing. "My Persona's name is Io."

"Io?" Minato repeated the name.

"Yukari-chan, why do you look ashamed? Do you already know?" Hamuko asked out of concern for her new friend.

"Well, I…" Yukari turned redder. "Kinda."

"Ah, here's Io," Minato found what he was looking for. "Well, it says here that Io was a nymph and one of Hera's priestesses. Zeus seduced her and made her his mistress. When Hera found out, Zeus turned her into a cow to hide her away. Hera then tried to drive Io to madness, but Io managed to flee to Egypt, where Zeus restored her. She then married a pharaoh and her grandkids eventually returned to Greece. In some versions of the Io mythology, she ended up becoming the goddess Isis, Egyptian goddess of motherhood, magic, and fertility."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Yukari timidly nodded.

"What's there to be ashamed of? I find it kinda cool," Minato smirked.

"Same here!" Hamuko agreed.

"Well… um… thanks…" Yukari blushed.

"So, Yukari-chan, do you know the names of the senpais' Persona?" Minato asked.

"Hm…" Yukari thought for a moment. "I think Mitsuru-senpai's is 'Penthesilea' and Akihiko-senpai's is 'Polydeucus'."

"Okay…" Minato's fingers flew on the keyboard, searching for information. "Ah, here we go," he smiled as he finished off the sandwich in his hand. "Penthesilea was the sister of Hippolyta, the Amazonia queen, and the daughter of Ares, Greek god of war. She had accidentally killed Hippolyta with a spear, which caused her so much grief, that she wanted to die, but her honor as an Amazon demanded that she couldn't die by her own hand and had to die in battle. To do so, she entered the Trojan War on the side of the Trojans and was slain by the Greek hero Achilles, who had fallen in love with her."

"That's just as sad as Orpheus and Eurydice," Hamuko sniffed.

"Man, why do these things have to be so depressing?" Yukari sighed.

"I honestly have no clue," said Minato. "As for Polydeucus, or Pollux as he's better know, he is the son of Zeus and twin brother of Castor. However, the twins had different fathers, leaving Pollux immortal and Castor mortal. When Castor died, Pollux pleaded with Zeus to allow him to share his immortality with his brother so that they could be together. Zeus honored his wish and transformed them into the Gemini, the star constellation."

"Okay, seriously. What is with our Personas and having tragic histories with them?" Hamuko asked. "And they're all Greek at that."

"It is odd that they're all Greek. Why that is, I don't know. What I do know is that the greatest heroes often are born from tragedy, Hamuko," Minato replied. "Tragedy breeds resolve. Resolve breeds revolution and change."

"I suppose that's true, but still…" Hamuko sighed.

"Yeah, I know. I wish tragedy didn't occur at all," Minato finished her train of thought. "Anyways, that's all the Personas then."

"What about Thanatos?" Yukari suddenly asked.

"Thanatos?" Hamuko asked, wondering what Yukari was talking about.

"Thantaos. The name of that Persona that exploded out of Orpheus," Yukari explained. "Remember? It was that one with the katana that slew that dragon.

"Oh yeah!" she remembered. "What was up with that?" Hamuko asked, curious as well.

"Honestly, I don't really know," Minato shrugged.

"So, what about Thanatos? What's its story?" Yukari asked, curiosity biting at her.

Minato glanced back at his screen and searched for info on Thantatos. "Well, I'll be damned."

"What is it, aniki?" Hamuko asked.

"Thanatos is the personification of Death itself…" he whispered. "Son of Nyx, goddess of the night, and Erebus, god of darkness, and twin brother of Hypnos, god of sleep, he basically served the purpose of Grim Reaper."

"Wow… That's kinda scary," said Yukari.

"So, what does that make you, aniki? The Avatar of Death? The Angel of Death?" Hamuko asked.

"Heavens, I hope not!" Minato exclaimed.

"Yeah, being the harbinger of Death doesn't sound exciting…" Hamuko took another sip of her drink.

"Let's just hope our Personas are not predictions of our future…" Yukari wished, hoping for the best.

* * *

That evening, Minato, Hamuko, and Yukari wandered into the dorm lounge after spending the rest of the day hanging out. As they entered the dorm, they found Mitsuru sitting in a chair, reading a book.

"Good evening," she greeted them. "Have any of you seen Akihiko?"

"No, we haven't," Minato replied. "Do you need him?"

"I sent him out to get some air freshener. We have a new student moving in today, and his room is rather… rank right now," Mitsuru explained.

"Wait. We have a new student moving in?" Hamuko asked.

"He's getting settled in as we speak. He'll be down any moment now," said Mitsuru.

At that moment, Akihiko walked into the dorm, carrying a couple of cans of air freshener.

"Oh, hi guys," Akihiko waved. "Mitsuru, I brought the air freshener. Where's our new resident?"

"Still upstairs, getting settled," Mitsuru informed him.

"So, who is this new guy?" Yukari asked the question on their minds.

"You'll see…" Akihiko nodded.

"Hey, senpai! Has Akihiko-senpai returned with that air freshener yet? My room smells like ass!" Everyone turned to the stairs to see Junpei walking down them, his hands behind his head in a lazy manner.

"JUNPEI!" Yukari screeched out, completely shocked to see him.

_'What? Junpei is the new guy? Are the senpai serious? He seems to be a good guy and all, but…'_

"Everyone, this is Iori Junpei, of class 2-F," Mitsuru introduced Junpei as he walked up to the group. "From today on, he will be a resident of this dorm."

"Whazzup, everyone?" Junpei grinned.

"He's staying HERE? You've got to be kidding me!" Yukari exclaimed.

"Is he really staying here?" Hamuko asked.

"I bumped into him the other night. He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently…" Akihiko explained the situation. "I told him about us and he agreed to help."

"You have the potential? For real?" Yukari cried out in disbelief.

"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but man, that was embarrassing!" Junpei recalled. "He said that's, ya know, completely normal… in the beginning, like, being confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?"

"Yeah. My first few experiences in the Dark Hour are fuzzy at best," said Minato.

"Same here," Hamuko added.

"Oh, that's good," Junpei sighed in relief. "You should, since you're all Persona-users. But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea and I'm glad I'm not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know."

"I agree," Minato interrupted. "The Dark Hour can be quite lonely, especially when you're the only one aware of it."

"I bet you're all stoked, right?" Junpei exclaimed. "Havin' me join and all…"

_ 'Well, I guess he deserves a chance,'_ Minato quirked an eyebrow.

"Huh? Uh, yeah…" Yukari replied in a non-convincing tone.

"Well, we'll see," Hamuko said in a so-so tone.

"Well, enough with the introductions," Akihiko interrupted them. "I think we're about ready…"

_'Ready for what?'_ Minato was on alert.

"Oh, are we going to do something? Sweetness!" Junpei jumped for joy.

"What exactly are we going to do, senpai?" Hamuko asked.

"With this many people, we can start exploring THAT place," Akihiko answered Hamuko's question.

"That place?" Minato asked.

"Wait… You mean… Tartarus?" Yukari seemed to fill in the blanks.

_'Tartarus? Where did I hear that word before?'_ the word rang a bell. _'Wait! Are they talking about…'_

"Tartarus? What's that? It sounds like toothpaste," said Junpei.

"I assure you, Iori, that Tartarus is not toothpaste. It is a place and we believe that we can find the reason for the Dark Hour there," Mitsuru answered the question.

"I hope so…" Yukari sighed.

"The Chairman will give us the details tomorrow night, so be ready," Akihiko warned them.

"I advise you all to get a good night's rest for tomorrow will be a huge day for you all," Mitsuru advised them; with that, she turned on her heels and went upstairs.

"I suggest spending this time getting to know each other. After all, starting tomorrow, you'll all be fighting side by side," said Akihiko. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to take care." And Akihiko went upstairs as well, but not before giving Junpei the air freshener.

"Well, now what?" Hamuko asked.

"I still need to get settled in. Anyone wanna help?" Junpei asked.

"I'll help you, Junpei-kun," Hamuko responded, and she and Junpei went upstairs as well.

Yukari turned to Minato, who had a strange expression on his face. "You okay, Minato-kun?" she asked.

"We're going to a place called Tartarus? What is it?" Minato asked.

"What?" Yukari was caught off guard. "Well, the senpai never told me much about it; they have told me that it is a place that only appears during the Dark Hour and that Shadows regularly come out of there. I've seen it once and it's quite a sight, and not in a good way. Why do you ask?"

"Because, I remember hearing about a place called 'Tartarus' in Greek mythology during today's research," Minato explained. "It's a pit that resides below even the lowest levels of Hades, or as you may know it, Hell. Tartarus was said to contain many prisoners, including may of the Titans, even Cronos, father of Zeus."

"What?" Yukari gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "You serious?"

"I am. Whatever this Tartarus place is, I do know one thing," Minato sighed. "It's bound to be hell."

* * *

_**In Game Date: April 20, 2009**_

After a good night's rest, Minato arrived at Gekkoukan feeling great. As he and Hamuko approached the school gates, they overheard a couple of students talking. "Good morning. I'm always so drowsy on Monday mornings…" the girl yawned as she greeted her friend.

"Yeah, me too," her friend replied. "The only thing you can do is to sleep through first period. Wait…" she recalled something. "Tomorrow is when we have morning assembly!"

"Uggh…" the first girl groaned. "I'm too lazy for that. I'll just pretend I didn't hear that." As the bell rang, the two gossiping girls ran off to their classes.

"Hey, Hamuko, what was that assembly they're talking about?" Minato asked.

"Oh, that's right. While you were out cold, they held Student Council elections. Tomorrow's assembly is to announce who won. The new President will be giving a speech as well. Rumor has it that Mitsuru-senpai is our new Student Council President," Hamuko informed him.

"Really now? Well, that's bound to be interesting," Minato smirked. Another bell rang, forcing the twins to pick up the pace to avoid being late.

* * *

After a bout of morning classes, lunch had arrived. Junpei and Minato were striking up a friendly conversation while eating from their bento. Hamuko was drinking a can of soda as she read over the notes she had taken that morning. Yukari was struggling to stay awake, so she stood up to wake herself up. "Whoo!" Yukari yawned as she stretched. "I thought I was gonna fall asleep in there."

"I actually did. I don't know what is about the classroom, but it always makes me sleepy," Minato responded.

Just then, the door opened and Mitsuru walked in, getting everyone's attention. Whispers of 'Oh my gosh!' and 'Why is she here?' echoed in the room as she approached Minato and company.

"Can I have a minute?" Mitsuru asked the group. Everyone nodded, to which Mitsuru smiled. "Good. I ask that all of you come to the lounge on the fourth floor when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone."

_'I'm going to assume this is about Tartarus…'_ Minato thought.

"Oh, are we having that talk?" Junpei asked.

"I'll save the details for later," Mitsuru replied. "See you there." With that, Mitsuru left as quickly as she arrived.

_'Damn. I barely heard any emotion in her voice,'_ Minato noticed.

"Wow, she didn't waste any time leaving…" Junpei observed.

"She's meticulously efficient," Hamuko agreed with him.

"She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us," Yukari scoffed, a dirty look on her face.

_'I'm guessing all is not sunshine and daisies between those two. I wonder why?' _

"Whoa, Yuka-tan!" Junpei held up his hand in defense. "Do I sense some hostility?"

"Well, it's not that I don't like her…" she defended herself.

"Then what is it?" Hamuko asked.

"Well, it's just that she's just… well… I hate it when she looks down on us. She looks at us like we're her damn pawns and not people," Yukari admitted.

_'Oh, it's an inferiority complex? Or is it just plain jealousy?' _he deduced.

"Yukari-chan… Grandfather taught us that there are all kinds of people in the world and that not all of them are going to compatible with you. While we can try and change them, sometimes it's easier and for the best to just suck it up and let them change on their own for change cannot be forced," said Hamuko. "Besides, there's always a reason someone acts the way they do."

"Wow, Hamu-chan. That was… inspiring," Junpei wiped a tear from his eye.

"Hamuko-chan…" Yukari sighed.

"Wow, imoto, that was rather impressive and mature." Minato complimented her.

"Thanks," Hamuko smiled.

"…I guess you're right," said Yukari. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though…"

* * *

After school, Minato, Hamuko, Yukari, and Junpei quickly returned to the dorm for the meeting. When they arrived at the lounge on the fourth floor, they found Ikutsuki, Mitsuru, and Akihiko already there.

"Excellent. Everyone's here," Ikutsuki smiled. "Please. Sit down." All four teens took their seats. "I'd like your undivided attention. For the longest time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But, that number recently jumped to six. Therefore…" Ikutsuki rested his chin on his hands. "Starting tonight at midnight, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

"So, we're going on an expedition?" Hamuko asked.

"Exactly," Ikutuski replied.

"Yeah! I love exploring!" Hamuko chirped.

"Sorry… I asked this yesterday, but what's this 'Tartarus' thing again?" Junpei rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"You haven't seen it, Junpei?" Yukari asked.

"Hm?" Junpei seemed confused.

"I doubt so, Yukari-chan. He only just awoke to his power. And Hamuko and I haven't seen it yet, even though we've been here for a couple of weeks now," said Minato.

"It's no surprise, since it only appears during the Dark Hour," Ikutuski added.

"The Dark Hour?" Junpei was unfamiliar with the term.

"Remember when everyone turned to coffins, nothing would work, water turned to blood, and everything was illuminated green?" Minato asked Junpei, who nodded. "That was the Dark Hour. Hamuko and I refer to it as Green Midnight, but the Dark Hour is the official name."

"That is correct, Arisato," Mitsuru confirmed Minato's answer.

"Ah, okay, I get it," Junpei nodded.

"Tartarus appears during the Dark Hour, just like the Shadows. Interesting, huh?" Akihiko evilly smiled. "And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest."

"Whoa… Their nest, huh?" Junpei said with amazement.

_'Do the Shadows really come from Tartarus?'_ Minato asked himself. _'I know Yukari-chan said a bunch of Shadows come from there, but is it really their birthplace?'_

"But, Senpai, what about your injury?" Yukari asked Akihiko.

_'Wait, Akihiko-senpai is injured?'_

"Thanks to some healing from me, Akihiko is just fine now. However, he will be temporarily benched as punishment for bringing the dragon to the dorm," Mitsuru shot Akihiko a death glare.

_'Damn, that woman gets scarier every time she does that!'_

"Yeah, I know," Akihiko looked away sheepishly.

"Well, I'm sure he won't complain, as long as you don't go too far in," said Ikutsuki. "Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid."

"Is Tartarus really all that important?" Minato asked.

"We believe so," Mitsuru answered.

"Relax, I've got your backs," Junpei assured everyone.

"As long as we work together, we should be fine," Hamuko added.

"I'm not so sure about this…" Yukari sighed, doubt evident in her tone.

_'Doubt? Why is Yukari doubting herself?_' Minato noticed _'I mean, if anyone, I would think it'd be my imoto doubting herself, with the Evokers and everything… And she did seem pretty competent during our fight with the dragon when the chips fell…'_ "What about you, Chairman-san? Are you coming along as well?" Minato asked.

"I'll stay here. As you know, I can't summon a Persona," Ikutsuki replied.

_ 'Bleh. I bet that even if he did, he'd make us go without him,'_ Minato mocked him.

* * *

The group spent the next several hours getting ready for the expedition. When eleven o'clock came around, the group gathered their Evokers and, minus Mitsuru, departed the dorm for Iwatodai Station, Mitsuru saying she'd meet them there. Once at the station, they boarded the train and set off for Port Island. After arriving at Tatsumi Port Island, SEES left for Tartarus' location. After a few minutes of walking, Minato decided to ask something that had been bugging him.

"Senpai, where exactly is Tartarus?" Minato asked.

"We'll be there shortly, so be patient," Akihiko assured him.

"Okay," Minato replied. _'But… this is the way to school. Don't tell me that… No, that'd just be WAY too weird…'_

After a bit more walking, the group arrived at the gates of Gekkoukan High School. Mitsuru was waiting outside, standing next to a motorcycle with audio equipment attached to it. "Wow, that's a sick motorcycle, senpai!" Junpei exclaimed. "That yours?"

"This is indeed my motorcycle, Iori," Mitsuru answered. "But do NOT touch it or I will execute you!"

_'Shoot, this woman is always scary!'_ Minato took a step back. _'But she rides a motorcycle? Closet adrenaline junkie?'_

"Anyways… Welcome to Tartarus," Mitsuru informed them.

"This is it? THIS is the place?" Junpei seemed surprised. "Why HERE?"

"Senpai, are you pulling my leg?" Hamuko was skeptical.

"You can't be serious. Tartarus is here, at school?" Minato voiced his skepticism.

"Just wait a few minutes; it's almost midnight," Akihiko assured them. The group just stood there at Gekkoukan's gates for the next couple of minutes, awaiting the Dark Hour. Suddenly, as the clock struck twelve, everything was illuminated green, signaling the Dark Hour. But that was not all, as the ground began to quake.

"What the hell is going on?" Junpei shouted.

"Look!" Hamuko pointed toward the school.

Everyone looked towards the school to see that something was sprouting out from it like a flower. A mass of twisted steel, concrete, glass, and various other materials began to reach towards the sky like a beanstalk. After a few moments, the twisted tower stopped growing and stood there, reaching to the moon. "What the devil is that?" Minato demanded to know.

"This is Tartarus, the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour," Mitsuru explained.

"THAT is Tartarus?" Hamuko pointed towards the giant monstrosity.

"It is," Misturu nodded.

"Holy crap…" the twins whispered at the same time.

"Labyrinth? What are you talking about? What happened to our school?" Junpei was in a panic.

"Calm down, Iori. Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal and Tartarus fades away," Mitsuru attempted to calm it down.

Junpei suddenly whipped his attention to Akihiko. "This is the 'nest' you were talking about? But why? Why'd our school turn into a giant tower?" Everyone was silent, unwilling or unable to give an answer.

_'That is a good question, Junpei. Why is Tartarus HERE of all places?'_ Minato asked himself.

After a couple of moments, Junpei was able to reel in his hysteria and faced Mitsuru. "You don't know either?" he asked her.

"…No," she replied after a moment of hesitation.

_ 'Wait. Why did hesitate in answering? Does she know?'_

"I'm sure it's complicated. Who cares anyways?" Yukari brushed it off. "It's not like it would change our minds about fighting."

"Oh, but it would, Yukari-chan," Hamuko interrupted. "What if this tower is the only thing holding back the true evils that the Dark Hour brings? What if by messing with what's inside, we makes thing worse? What if this came from some madman's disturbed mind? What if the whole reason this Tartarus and the Dark Hour are here is because this was the lesser of two evils?" Everyone looked at Hamuko like she had grown two heads. Mitsuru, in particular, looked like she was about to pass out.

_'Strange as Hamuko's rant seems, she does have a point…'_ Minato mentally acknowledged.

"Just kidding!" Hamuko broke the silence while chuckling. "I'm sure it's nothing serious." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and Mitsuru regained her composure.

"Hamuko-chan! Don't scare me like that!" Yukari fussed at her.

"Sorry, Yukari-chan," Hamuko apologized. She then turned and winked at Minato.

_'Ah, I see what happened. Good one, imoto. Get these people wondering. Grandfather always said to never be satisfied with a given answer. Always search for the truth,'_ Minato praised his sister.

"Well, maybe we'll find out the reason now," said Akihiko. "Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it?" Akihiko slammed his fist into his free hand. "There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour…"

Mitsuru walked up to Akihiko and put a hand on his shoulder. "Akihiko, while I do respect your enthusiasm, you will NOT be accompanying us today, understand?"

"I know," Akihiko frowned like a kid whose candy had been taken away. "You don't have to remind me."

_'Damn. She has him whipped. Does that mean there's something going on between those two?'_ Minato let out a light chuckle.

"All right then. Everyone, let's go!" Mitsuru ordered as she walked over to her motorcycle. She then began walking it into Tartarus, Akihiko right behind her. Yukari and Junpei were behind them, leaving the twins to take the rear.

"Ready, aniki?" Hamuko asked.

"Ready," Minato replied. They then walked through the double doors into Tartarus.

Inside, the six of them took a look around. There was a giant staircase that went to the next floor, the entryway being a part of a clock's face. To the left of the staircase was a miniature golden grandfather clock. Near the entryway into Tartarus was an orange device that had green light shining from its platform.

_'Wonder what those things are for?'_ Minato wondered.

"Whoa… It's just as cool on the inside…" Junpei stared in awe.

_'Wow. He got over his shock fast. Is he like Hamuko?'_

"It sure is creepy…" Yukari shuddered.

"It feels odd, yet nostalgic for some reason," Hamuko added.

"Nostalgic?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah. I can't really explain it, but I feel comfortable here," Hamuko replied.

"You know, imoto, I kinda feel the same way," Minato added. "Sure, it's creepy, yet it feels like a second home to me."

"Dude, that's just weird," Junpei noted.

"Well, I'm guessing that spending a decade in the Dark Hour makes it feel like second nature to them," Mitsuru theorized.

"I guess so…" Hamuko shrugged.

_'This place really does seem nostalgic. I don't know why, but… it feels comfortable here,'_ Minato sighed.

"So, where are we exploring?" Hamuko asked.

"We'll be exploring the labyrinth beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs," Mitsuru pointed at the clock face at the top of the stairs.

"First, we'll have the four of you get a feel for this place," Akihiko informed them. "Why don't you go have a look around?"

"What?" Yukari shouted in shock. "By ourselves?"

_ 'Just me, imoto, Yukari-chan, and Junpei? Well, I am confident in my skills and Hamuko's skills. I saw that Yukari-chan was okay with a bow. However, I honestly have no idea how Junpei will fare. And then there's the whole 'Persona' thing,'_ Minato analyzed the situation.

"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be feeding you information from here," Mitsuru assured Yukari.

"So you two didn't plan on coming in the first place?" Junpei asked.

"Well, I didn't think Akihiko-senpai would, because of Mitsuru-senpai's punishment," Hamuko answered. "But why would Mitsuru-senpai not be coming along?" She then turned to Mitsuru. "And how exactly will you be feeding us information?"

"With these." Mitsuru extended her hand. In her hand were three earpieces.

_'Mini-radios?'_ Minato recognized them. _'Well, that'd explain where Yukari-chan got hers during the night the Shadows attacked and who she was talking to.'_

"Take them and I can communicate with each of you," Mitsuru explained.

"And how will we be able to communicate with you?" Hamuko asked.

"Each transmitter also contains a small, yet powerful microphone. I'll be able to hear any and everything you say," said Mitsuru.

"Ah, okay," Hamuko nodded as she put in her earpiece. Everyone else did the same. Mitsuru then took a microphone from her motorcycle.

**"Testing, testing, un, deux, trois,"** Minato heard Mitsuru speak from the earpiece.

"I hear you loud and clear, senpai," Minato whispered, his hand covering his mouth.

"Excellent. It seems that both ways are working properly," Mitsuru smiled. "Also, would each of you please take one of these?" Mitsuru reached back into her motorcycle and pulled out a small bag. Everyone reached into the bag and pulled out metallic wristbands.

"Metallic wristbands?" Minato asked as he looked it over. "With a screen on it?"

"That is correct. Put them on and I'll explain what they do," Mitsuru ordered.

Everyone put on their armbands and waited for Mitsuru's explanation.

"Now, if you'll take a look at the screen," Mitsuru told them.

Minato took a look at the screen on the wristband. _'What the heck?'_

"Senpai, what is this I'm looking at?" Minato asked.

"You would be looking at your 'stats'," said Mitsuru. "The Kirijo Group made these in order for Persona-users to keep track of how they are doing. These wristbands will analyze you and then project your stats on the screen." Mitsuru took Minato's wrist and pointed at the screen. "The screen lists your Persona's name. It also lists your level, stamina, and magic; your stamina is represented by 'Hit Points' and your magical power is represented by 'Spirit Points'."

_'Hm… There's Orpheus' name. It says I'm level two. I have seventy-two Hit Points and forty-nine Spirit Points.' _Minato read the screen.

"Ah, I see it, senpai," Hamuko nodded. "It shows Eurydice's name, that I'm level two, I have seventy Hit Points, and fifty Spirit Points."

"Hey! Mine's blank!" Junpei complained.

"That is because you have yet to summon your Persona. The wristbands only work if you have already summoned your Persona," Mitsuru explained.

"Oh…" Junpei blushed in embarrassment.

"Senpai, what exactly do these numbers means?" Minato asked.

"Your level shows how strong you are. As you fight in more battles, you'll get stronger and your level will go up. Your Hit Points represent your stamina. As you get injured, that number will go down. Should it reach zero, you'll be unable to fight and most likely be knocked out. And if you're injured further after that, well… you don't wanna know," Akihiko explained, which made the four rookies gulp. "Spirit Points represent your magic. As you use spells, your 'SP' will decrease. Should you run out of SP, you cannot use spells."

"Wait, we can use magic?" Junpei asked.

"Should your Persona possess such skills, then yes," Mitsuru nodded.

"AWESOME!" Junpei cheered.

"Anyways, Arisato, if you press the button on your wristband, you'll go to a second screen," Mitsuru informed him.

"Oh?" Minato asked. He pressed the button found below the screen. The screen changed to list a different set of numbers.

"Strength: 2? Magic: 2? Endurance: 2? Agility: 4? Luck: 3 percent? What is this?" Minato was puzzled.

"Those would be your stats," Akihiko explained. "Each stat reflects how strong you are in certain areas. For example, Strength is how effective physical attacks and skills are. The higher the number, the more damage your weapons and Persona's physical skills will inflict."

"Sweet! So, the higher my Strength is, the more ass I can kick?" Junpei grinned.

"That is correct," Akihiko nodded.

"Wicked!" Junpei quaked in excitement.

"Magic is how strong your magical skills are. The higher, the better," Mitsuru continued to explain. "Endurance reflects your ability to resist attacks. Agility is a combination of how fast you are and how accurate you are. Luck, unlike the others, is measured as a percentage. It accounts for factors beyond your control. We have learned that, as this percentage increases, the more likely your Persona is to influence events in your favor."

"Wow…" Hamuko gasped.

"A question, semapi?" Minato interrupted.

"What is it, Arisato?" Mitsuru wondered what Minato wanted.

"Why is the Kirijo Group so invested in helping with dealing the Shadows, the Dark Hour, and Tartarus? The Evokers, the Dark Hour tech, the wristbands… What's the story, Mitsuru-senpai?" Minato interrogated her.

"The Kirijo Group is dedicated to helping everyone around the world. The Shadows and the Dark Hour are a threat, and to ensure the future of the Kirijo Group and the world, the Group is dedicated to doing whatever it can stopping them," Mitsuru explained with a straight face.

_ 'That does sound logical. People and corporations often do good to protect their own interests,'_ Minato acknowledged. "Okay, senpai, I understand. I hope you don't mind me constantly asking questions."

"No, no, Arisato, its okay," said Mitsuru. "I understand that you don't want to be walking into a situation blind."

_'Still, I should stop digging for now. Between Hamuko and myself, we've probably unnerved her,'_ he thought. "Thank you, senpai," Minato nodded.

"Anyways, we're going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions," Akihiko suddenly announced.

"For real? One of us?" Junpei gasped.

"That is correct. Akihiko, I'll let you choose," said Mitsuru.

"Okay, Mitsuru," Akihiko looked over the four rookies.

"Me me me! Pick me!" Junpei waved his hand in the air.

Akihiko spent another moment observing everyone before coming to a decision. "You're in charge," he pointed to Minato.

"Me?" Minato asked, wanting to be sure.

"Yes," Akihiko confirmed his situation.

_'Well, I guess it makes sense. Junpei is too new and easily excited. Yukari, while competent, has very little battle experience. And Hamuko is too dependent on me to be a leader,'_ Minato reasoned. _'I've never really liked taking the lead; I've always been more of a follower, assistant, or ideas man, not an executive. But, I'll do what I can to make sure everyone makes it through okay.' _"All right, Akihiko-senpai," Minato nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Excellent," Akihiko smirked.

"W-W-Wait! Why him?" Junpei complained. "He doesn't look like a leader!"

_'What exactly is a leader suppose to look like? Cloud Strife? Sora? The Emperor of Japan? Zack Fair? Son Goku?'_

"He has fought them before, Junpei," Yukari came to his defense. "And Hamuko-chan as well."

"Seriously?" Junpei was shocked.

"That's true, but there's another reason," said Akihiko. "You two…" he pointed to Junpei and Yukari as he drew his Evoker and put it to his temple. "Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties, like he can?"

"Yeah! Of course I can!" Junpei boasted.

"I think so," Yukari nodded, doubt laced in her voice. "I've done it before…"

_'Yukari-chan doesn't seem very confident in herself. I'll have to help her with that.'_

"What about you, Hamuko-san?" Akihiko turned his attention to the female Arisato. "Is your fear going to get in your way?"

"I'll do my best, Akihiko-senpai," Hamuko promised.

"And I'll be helping her every step of the way," Minato added.

"These are Shadows we're talking about here," Akihiko lowered his Evoker. "Without your Persona, you're screwed."

"Remember, senpai, we fought these Shadows more than once over the last decade," Minato motioned to himself to and Hamuko. "And we didn't have Personas then."

"Oh, that's right. I apologize. Regardless, without your Persona, you'll be a liability in there, endangering yourself and your team," Akihiko warned them.

"If you want to back out, now's your last chance. Back out now and we won't think any less of you. However, once you ascend those stairs, you will be obligated to help solve the mysteries of Tartarus and the Dark Hour," warned Mitsuru.

"I won't back down!" Junpei pounded his chest.

"I'm ready," Yukari nodded, holding her hands to her chest.

"Bring it!" Hamuko cheered.

"Let's do this," Minato solemnly nodded.

"Excellent. Before you go, here's some supplies," Mitsuru gave Minato a small burlap bag. "This has some first aid equipment, doses of adrenaline, smelling salts, and a few special 'surprises' for the Shadows. You may need them, either now or in the future."

"Thanks, Mitsuru-senpai," Minato slung the bag over his shoulder.

"Then, if you would proceed up the stairs, we shall begin the exploration of Tartarus," Mitsuru ordered.

As the party of four approached the stairs, Minato heard a weird sound. _'What was that? It sounded like a mix between a loud 'pop' and a phone ringing,' _he observed. Minato took a quick look around and noticed a rather peculiar glowing blue door off to the left. _'Where did that come from? I don't recall seeing that when I came in. Is that the source of that weird sound?'_ The Velvet Key in his pocket began vibrating slightly, as if to alert him to something. _'Wait. What's with the key? Is that my way into the Velvet Room?'_

Minato began walking towards the blue door. "Aniki?" Hamuko called out. "Where are you going?"

"I think I might've found my door. Gimme a minute," Minato told her.

"Door?" Hamuko cocked her head in confusion.

Minato approached the door and took out the Velvet Key. He put the key in the lock and turned the key. The lock opened with a soft 'pop'. "Well, I'll be. This is my lucky day. Let's see what Long Nose-san is up to," Minato spoke to himself, grinning madly. Minato opened the door and stepped inside. At the other side of the door, he found himself inside the elevator known as the Velvet Room once more. Igor and Elizabeth were waiting inside, like the previous visits.

"I've been waiting for you," Igor greeted him as Minato took a seat. "The time has come for you to wield your power. The tower that you are about to venture into… How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions. That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power."

"Oh? So, are you going to tell me what this 'Wild Card' ability I have is?" Minato asked.

"Your power is unique. It's like the number zero: it's empty, but at the same time hold infinite possibilities," Igor told Minato.

"The number zero? What's that suppose to mean?" Minato asked.

"It means that you, my boy, are able to possess multiple Personas and summon them as needed," Igor explained.

"I get multiple Personas? What does that make me, a Persona Trainer? Or maybe a Tamer or Summoner?" Minato asked.

"If you want, you can refer to yourself to all those titles," Igor smirked.

"But I really get multiple Personas?" Minato wanted confirmation.

"That is correct," Igor answered. "Most Persona users have only one Persona; however, a lucky few, such as yourself, are able to use multiple Personas. Exactly how many you can have, I honestly don't know. Yet, with those Personas, you will be able to stand up against the trials to come. And when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp, but do not fear; seize what you have earned."

"Huh? The faces of possibility? What's that?" Minato asked.

"You'll see," Igor smiled.

"So, if I'm allowed to have multiple Persona, how many can I have on me at once?" Minato was curious.

"As of right now, six; however, as you grow in strength and power, so will the amount of Personas you can hold and control," Igor smiled. "I feel that out time is growing short; your friends and allies outside are waiting for you."

"That's right! They're waiting for me," Minato realized.

"Then go, and embrace your destiny. When you have the time, please come again; I'll tell you then about my true role, the manner in which I can best assist you," said Igor.

"Okay then. Will there be another entrance to the Velvet Room besides Tartarus and my dreams?" Minato asked as he got up.

"There will be and you will be alerted when that entrance is ready. Until then, farewell," Igor waved Minato off.

"Please come again," Elizabeth bowed and Minato walked out the door.

* * *

Minato found himself back in Tartarus, in front of the Velvet Room's door. He turned around to see that Yukari, Junpei, and Hamuko were all standing there, looking confused. "What's up?" he waved at them.

"Hey, are you alright, Minato-kun?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah, what's up? You look like a zombie," Junpei added.

"I'm fine. I just entered this door I found," Minato replied.

"Door? What door?" Yukari asked. "There's no door here."

"Man, you loco or something?" Junpei joked.

"Aniki, there's no door there. You okay?" Hamuko asked with concern.

_'They can't see the door? Oh, great. Just what I need; more evidence that I need a first-class ticket to the loony bin,'_ Minato rubbed his forehead.

"You seem out of it. You sure you okay?" Yukari asked.

"I'm fine Yukari-chan, don't worry," Minato smiled. "I just happened to find the door that my key goes to."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Junpei was puzzled.

"It's nothing important, Junpei," Minato assured him.

"Well, if you say so," Junpei replied. "But get your head in the game! You're supposed to be our leader."

"If you're done procrastinating, then can we move things along?" Mitsuru called out to them.

"I apologize, Mitsuru-senpai," Minato apologized. "Is everyone ready?"

"I'm ready, Minato-kun," Yukari hung her quiver on her back and gripped her bow.

"Let's go!" Junpei swung a katana Mitsuru gave him the air.

"Let's do this, aniki," Hamuko swung the naginata Yukari had given her over her shoulder.

"All right then," Minato took hold of his sword from the Shadow attack. "Let's roll."

"Good luck, you guys; you'll need it," Akihiko waved them off.

_'Get ready, Shadows, Beasts of the Night, or whatever the hell you are, get ready. We're coming for you,'_ Minato smirked as he, Yukari, Hamuko, and Junpei ascended the stairs into Tartarus.

* * *

Next chapter, we start the exploration! Enjoy!


End file.
